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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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CameronSmithDD02
David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography
60
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 1-2,0-0 Big West
85
Winner Arizona UA 4-0,0-0 Pac-12
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
1-2,0-0 Big West
60
Final
85
Arizona UA
4-0,0-0 Pac-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 26 34 60
Arizona UA 46 39 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

CSUB Suffers Road Loss At Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. – The CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team went toe-to-toe with the Pac-12's Arizona Wednesday night. The visiting Roadrunners matched the host Wildcats in physicality, but Arizona (4-0) used a big first-half run to pull away and held Bakersfield off for an 85-60 win in the McKale Center.

"Arizona is a really talented team," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "I was really proud of our guys' effort and proud of the way that we played. Overall, I'm disappointed because you don't ever want to lose. The difference in the game was basically three-point shooting and they were really good at it tonight."

Junior college transfer Cameron "Beno" Smith ignited for nine second-half points on his way to a season-high 11 points Wednesday in Tucson. Barnes praised the forward's efforts after the game: "I was really excited about his game. We gave Cameron some coaching this week and he accepted it and received it well. He came out tonight and really played well…As I told the team tonight, as we continue to work, we just have to stay focused."

Despite being undersized against Arizona's twin towers – 6-foot-11 Jordan Brown and 7-foot-1 Christian Koloko – senior `Runner Ronne Readus made his presence felt. Bakersfield's 6-foot-9 big man tallied four points and nine rebounds while playing a large part in CSUB outscoring the larger Arizona squad 24-22 in the paint.

"I think Ronne had a really great offseason," Barnes said. "He's really been focused and had the commitment to get better…He has taken on a role where he feels like he's got to be our rebounder and our enforcer and he's done a really great job."

First Half

Back-to-back Justin McCall jumpers and a layup from Shawn Stith pulled the `Runners within two points at 12-14 nearly six minutes into the first half. After Grehlon Easter's corner three-pointer brought Bakersfield within two points, Arizona went on a 20-7 run to gain a large advantage. The Wildcats took a 46-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.

In the opening 20 minutes, Readus' physical play helped the `Runners combat the Wildcats. A native of San Diego, Readus chipped in four points and seven rebounds in the first half alone. Senior Justin McCall led all `Runners with six points at the break.

Second Half

A native of Okolona, Miss., Smith scored nine of his team-high 11 points in the second half. A product of Pearl River Community College, Smith went 5-for-7 from the floor while also adding five rebounds for the `Runners.

Bakersfield prevented Arizona from pulling away in the second half as the `Runners scored 34 points to the Wildcats' 39. Arizona's strong first half helped the home squad earn an 85-60 victory in the McKale Center.

McCall, a guard/forward from Bakersfield, Calif., finished the game with nine points, just one behind fellow senior De'Monte Buckingham, who registered his second-straight double-digit scoring performance. Justin Edler-Davis, another San Diego native, chipped in nine points of his own to go with three rebounds and two assists.

On the night, CSUB shot a solid 40.4 percent from the field, but made just 4-of-17 three-pointers (.235). As Barnes state, the long ball proved to be the difference on Wednesday night as Arizona converted 12-of-28 (.429) from behind the arc.

Next Game

The `Runners (1-2) will bus home from Tucson and prepare to round out their busy week with one final game. CSUB is slated to host Idaho (0-2) on Saturday, Dec. 12, with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Icardo Center.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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