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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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JamesSuberWAC02
Mark Nessia/Mark Nessia Photography
66
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 17-15
58
Cal State Fullerton CSF 16-18
Winner
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
17-15
66
Final
58
Cal State Fullerton CSF
16-18
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 34 32 66
Cal State Fullerton CSF 16 42 58

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

CSUB Advances to CIT 2nd Round with Win Over Fullerton



FULLERTON, Calif. – A dominant first half and a strong finish helped CSU Bakersfield's men's basketball team earn a 66-58 road victory over Cal State Fullerton in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) Thursday night.

"I'm really happy for the win; it was an exciting game," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "It was a game of two halves. In the first half, we came out and established ourselves. In the second half, it was more of an offensive game. The most important things is we played great defense in the end."

Barnes went on to applaud the effort of redshirt senior James Suber, who was named the Riley Wallace Classic MVP after posting a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds: "James Suber stepped up and executed plays. That's what you want your seniors to do."

Bakersfield got off to a slow start on the offensive end, but CSUB counteracted that with a strong defensive performance. The `Runners used both ends of the court to go on a 12-2 run that was capped by a Taze Moore three-pointer. With CSUB's physicality sending Fullerton to the free throw line, the Titans answered back with a 5-0 run, all on free throws, to make the score 14-10 with about eight minutes to play in the first half.

A 17-4 run to the end of the period helped CSUB push its advantage out to 18 points, 34-16, at the half. Suber scored six points down the stretch and sophomore Jarkel Joiner chipped in five points in the spurt.

The `Runner defense forced eight Titan turnovers while CSUB only committed two in the first half. Bakersfield held Fullerton to 16% shooting from the field while contesting the Titans' three-pointers to the tune of a 0-for-7 performance from distance. Joiner's 10 points led all `Runners at the break while the sophomore guard added four rebounds as well. Suber chipped in nine points and five rebounds in the fast-paced opening period.

Cal State Fullerton sprinted out of the locker room, riding a 20-4 run to reduce Bakersfield's lead to two points just under six minutes into the second half. Senior Rickey Holden later knocked down a stepback three-pointer and Joiner nailed a 15-foot jumper to push Bakersfield's lead back out to 43-36.

CSUB stretched its lead back out to as many as nine points at 47-38, but the Titans kept the `Runners within striking distance for the rest of the second period. A transition three-pointer by Khalil Ahmad pulled the Titans within one point before Darrin Person Jr. hit a slashing Justin McCall for an and-1. McCall converted the three-point play to put CSUB ahead 53-49 with five minutes remaining.

Fullerton tied the score briefly at 55 points apiece, but Moore found a cutting Suber to put CSUB back up by two points with two minutes to play. While the Titans would not go away, CSUB hit 9-of-10 free throws over the final 47 seconds, including five from Joiner, to secure the 66-58 victory in Titan Gym.

Suber's 17 points led all `Runners on Thursday night while the native of Philadelphia added 12 rebounds of his sixth double-double of the season. Joiner equaled his teammate's scoring output while playing solid defense in a team-high 34 minutes. Moore chipped in 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists against the Titans.

The `Runners once again outrebounded their opponents, 44-17, with nearly half (19) of Bakersfield boards coming on the offensive end. CSUB held CSUF to 36% shooting from the field and 26% from behind the arc on the night, but the Titans' 17-of-19 performance from the charity stripe helped them stick around.

With the victory, CSUB advanced to the next round of the 2019 CIT. Bakersfield's next stop is still very much up in the air and will not be determined until after Saturday's final first-round game between FIU and Texas State. There will be 13 teams remaining at that point and the teams will be reseeded. The Top 3 remaining teams will earn a second-round bye with the other 10 squads playing for a spot in the quarterfinals.

"One of the reasons we got into this tournament was to play," Barnes said. "We didn't get in just to say we were in the tournament. We want to win this…We took a step tonight. There's still some things we have to get better at, but I liked our effort and our togetherness."
 
~GoRunners.com~
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