`Runner Men Ready For Historic Road Games

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A long-awaited moment has finally arrived for the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team as the Roadrunners are poised to play their first league games as members of the Big West Conference. CSUB will travel to Long Beach, Calif. for a two-game series, Jan. 1 and 2, against Long Beach State.

"This is something that we have worked years and years for," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners, about CSUB's first season in the Big West. "A lot of people have been involved in putting us in this position. I'm thankful that we're here and that we're healthy…There's a sense of excitement, but there's also a sense of focus and seriousness about this weekend with Long Beach."

Barnes went on to discuss what he expects from Long Beach State: "They are really talented. They have a lot of talented players on their team. They have good depth. Offensively, they really try to cause problems. They run good stuff and they are real aggressive. It's going to be a tough series for us."

Long Beach State (1-2) has only played three games this season and has been inactive since Dec. 10 after taking a two-week pause following a positive COVID-19 test. The lone 49er win this season came against a familiar foe for Bakersfield, Seattle U. LBSU defeated Seattle U at home on Dec. 6 by a score of 80-75.

"You have to plan and play 80 minutes instead of 40 minutes," Barnes said when asked about playing in the adjusted format this season. "Most of the time you play a team and you hope you can sneak a win on the road, but it's a different mindset now. You go on the road and you're playing that same team…We have played a lot of guys, we have started a lot of guys, and part of our strategy for success this year is to be able to do that. We could have three guys play well on Friday and then we could have another three guys be our leading scorers on Saturday. We're going to do what we have to do to try to win two games on the road."

CSUB and LBSU are scheduled to tip off both games this weekend at 4 p.m. from the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach. `Runner fans can follow along with live streams via BigWest.TV, courtside radio broadcasts, live stats, or live tweets from @CSUB_MBB on Twitter. Links for all of the options to follow CSUB are available at GoRunners.com/mbbLinks.

~GoRunners.com~

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