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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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JarkelJoinerMN04
Mark Nessia/Mark Nessia Photography
69
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 16-12, 7-7 WAC
73
Winner Grand Canyon GCU 18-10, 10-4 WAC
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
16-12, 7-7 WAC
69
Final
73
Grand Canyon GCU
18-10, 10-4 WAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 31 38 69
Grand Canyon GCU 28 45 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

CSUB Comes Up Short on Road at Grand Canyon



PHOENIX, Ariz. – A hard-fought battle resulted in a tough loss for CSU Bakersfield's men's basketball team on Saturday night. The Roadrunners led the Western Athletic Conference's Grand Canyon for the majority of the game, but a second-half surge by the second-place Lopes pushed GCU past CSUB, 73-69.

Bakersfield led GCU by as many as nine points in front of nearly 7,500 rowdy Lopes fans. The host team was able to hang around for most of the second half and took a late lead over the `Runners. CSUB stayed right with its hosts and had a chance to tie the game with less than 10 seconds remaining, but the shot was off the mark as GCU survived to win at home.

"We're back to being who we are," said Rod Barnes, CSUB's Head Coach, when asked about his team's revitalized performance. "Our guys represented our program and the city of Bakersfield tonight and I'm always proud of them. I'm excited about the next two games. We have to stay focused and continue to work the way we did tonight. If we do that, we'll be fine."

The `Runners used an early, 14-3 run capped by a Damiyne Durham jumper to take a 16-8 lead over the Lopes. Fueled by a huge, energetic crowd, GCU never let CSUB lead by more than eight points in the first half. The Lopes finally regained the lead, 28-26, for the first time since being ahead 5-4.

CSUB got a big stop with time waning in the opening period and sophomore Jarkel Joiner dribbled across the court, pulled up for a long, contested three-pointer, and sank the shot as time expired to put the `Runners ahead of the Lopes at the half, 31-28. Joiner's trey brought his first-half total to 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Redshirt sophomore Greg Lee chipped in four points and six rebounds to help the cause.

The `Runner defense limited GCU to just 33% shooting from the field on its home court while winning the rebound battle, 20-16. The Lopes converted 9-of-12 free throws to keep their deficit to a minimum as the `Runners took just three free throws in the period. CSUB converted on 1-of-10 three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.

A pair of put-back layups by Justin Edler-Davis and James Suber found the `Runners leading by seven points, 36-29, just over three minutes into the second half. GCU chipped away at the CSUB lead and finally passed the `Runners, 53-51, on a pair of Michael Finke free throws. The senior Lope played a huge role down the stretch, scoring 24 of his team-high 26 points in the second half.

Despite the GCU surge, the `Runners would not go away. After the Lopes led 63-56 with just under five minutes to play, CSUB went on a 6-0 run to pull within one and never trailed by more than four points the rest of the way.

With 30 seconds remaining, Edler-Davis and Joiner hit back-to-back buckets to give CSUB a one-point lead, 69-68. GCU wound up with the ball after it pinballed around and Finke got fouled on a dunk, putting the Lopes ahead 71-69 with 18 seconds left. Joiner created some space in the final seconds and put up a potential game-tying jumper, but it was just off the mark. CSUB fouled GCU with 0.5 seconds left and the made free throws sealed the deal, 73-69.

Joiner, a guard out of Oxford, Miss., wrapped up the night with the second-best offensive performance of his career, scoring 29 points in Phoenix. Suber pounded the paint again, falling just short of a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive glass. Edler-Davis, a San Diego, Calif. native, contributed 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists while Durham, a redshirt senior, chipped in 12 points off the bench.

The big difference on Saturday night came at the free throw line as GCU (25-of-34) had vastly more opportunities than CSUB (6-of-12). The `Runners won the rebounding battle, 37-33, for the 22nd time this season. Bakersfield also outscored GCU 32-26 in the paint and 14-8 on second-chance opportunities.

With the loss, CSUB falls to 16-12 on the season and 7-7 in WAC play. The `Runners are now locked into the No. 4/No. 5 matchup for the WAC Tournament in two weeks and all signs are pointing to UTRGV being Bakersfield's first-round opponent in Las Vegas.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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