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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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RonneReadusSO01
Sarah Otteman/Pepperdine Athletics
79
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 4-3,0-0 Big West
51
Pepperdine PEP 4-5,0-0 WCC
Winner
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
4-3,0-0 Big West
79
Final
51
Pepperdine PEP
4-5,0-0 WCC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 39 40 79
Pepperdine PEP 29 22 51

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

`Runners Crash The Waves In 28-Point Road Victory

MALIBU, Calif. – A career game from center Ronne Readus, a season-high 20 points from guard De'Monte Buckingham, and an all-around dominant performance by the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team resulted in a 79-51 road victory over Pepperdine (4-5) on Wednesday afternoon.

The Roadrunners led the Waves from start to finish in the Firestone Fieldhouse with a pair of seniors pacing CSUB. Readus, a native of San Diego, posted career-highs of 14 points and 16 rebounds while recording his second double-double as a `Runner. Buckingham, who hails from Richmond, Va., tallied 13 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, resulting in his largest scoring output since the guard tallied 23 points against California Baptist on Jan. 8, 2020.

The `Runners worked together to hold Pepperdine, one of the nation's most potent offenses, 30 points below their season scoring average with just 51 points on the game. As a team, Bakersfield controlled both the paint (44-20) and the glass (45-22), doubling Pepperdine's output in both categories.

"I thought we played together," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "We had a long heart-to-heart yesterday. I explained to them that we need to share the ball more and help each other more. I thought we made a step in the right direction today."

First Half

Bakersfield raced out to a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game and found itself leading Pepperdine 17-12 just over eight minutes into the game. From a 19-17 lead, the `Runners went on an 11-1 run to open a twelve-point lead on their hosts. CSUB kept the Waves at a distance through the end of the period, taking a 29-19 advantage into the locker room.

CSUB's domination of both the glass and the paint started early as Bakersfield doubled Pepperdine's output in rebounding (20-10) and points in the paint (24-12) in the first 20 minutes. Eight different `Runners scored in the period while Readus led the way with 10 points and seven rebounds, five of which were on the offensive end.

Second Half

Just four minutes into the second half, Readus eclipsed his previous career best with 12 points and pulled down his tenth rebound for his second double-double as a `Runner. CSUB rode the momentum of its defensive effort to a big lead and quickly found itself leading Pepperdine by 15 points, then 20 points, and as many as 29 points down the stretch. Bakersfield wrapped up the afternoon with its first road victory of the season, 79-51, on the strength of its stifling defense.

The `Runners generated 23 points off turnovers against their hosts Wednesday afternoon. CSUB shot 52 percent from the field while holding Pepperdine to just 15-of-45 (.333) shooting and the `Runners enjoyed an advantage in three-point shooting (40% vs. 22%) as well.

Senior Czar Perry controlled the pace of play from the point and chipped in ten points and five assists in 34 minutes. Another point guard Shaun Williams, making just his third appearance for CSUB, added five points, six assists, and three rebounds. All 13 `Runners played on Wednesday while 11 of the men got on the scoreboard.

"This is a confidence builder for us," Barnes said of his team's performance. "You always want to go into Christmas break with a win. That makes for some great time of fellowship for us. Then we will get ready to start conference play."

Next Game

Bakersfield (4-3) was originally scheduled to begin its first league slate as members of the Big West Conference on Dec. 27-28 with a home series against UC Davis. Due to a Yolo County health order, UC Davis cancelled those games, so the `Runners will shift their focus to the New Year. CSUB will now prepare to open league play on the road, Jan. 1-2, with back-to-back games against Long Beach State.

~GoRunners.com~
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