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David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography
59
Winner Kansas City KC 13-14,5-7 WAC
53
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 11-15,5-6 WAC
Winner
Kansas City KC
13-14,5-7 WAC
59
Final
53
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
11-15,5-6 WAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Kansas City KC 25 34 59
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 23 30 53

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Bakersfield's Rally Falls Short Against Kansas City

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A fast start petered off for the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team in Saturday night's Western Athletic Conference contest against Kansas City. The visiting Roos built up a solid lead and, despite a late Roadrunner rally, Kansas City held off CSUB for a 59-53 victory in the Icardo Center.

"It was a tough game," said Rod Barnes, Bakersfield's ninth-year Head Coach. "I didn't think either team got into a great flow. I thought we got off to a great start. I told our guys, if you take the first five minutes and the last five minutes, we looked like a really good basketball team."

Barnes went on to describe what he felt limited his team on Saturday night: "One of the things that really hurt us that we have really been harping on, we missed some free throws early on…We've got to continue to work. We have a sad dressing room right now, but I think it's probably good for us. This gives us the opportunity to get back on the court and get better."

The `Runners earned an early advantage, leading the visiting Roos by as many as seven points. Kansas City used the three-pointer to work its way back into the game. A 9-0 run down the stretch of the first half helped KC lead by as many as eight points, but the `Runners scored three times in the final 82 seconds to pull within two, 23-25, at halftime.

Greg Lee led all student-athletes with nine points at the break, scoring efficiently on 4-of-6 field goal attempts. The `Runners shot well as a team, converting on a .476 clip, but Kansas City hit five three-pointers in the opening period to earn a two-point advantage.

Kansas City started out hot in the second half, but CSUB pulled within two points at 30-32 with about 12 minutes remaining. The Roos continued to edge their way to their biggest lead, 53-42, with two and a half minutes to go in the game.

The `Runners never gave up and chipped away at KC's lead down the stretch. Lee knocked down a three-pointer and was fouled, converting the four-point play with 2:25 remaining to make the score 46-53. Bakersfield scored seven more points over the next two minutes, including a Justin Edler-Davis layup that cut the deficit to just two points with 15 seconds remaining. Kansas City managed to escape CSUB's clutches in the final seconds, hittiing some late free throws to clinch the 59-53 road victory.

On the game, Lee paced the `Runners with 13 points, his third double-digit scoring effort in the last four games. The junior forward also added five rebounds, one assists, two steals, a block against Kansas City. Five other `Runners scored six or more points, but three-point shooting hurt Bakersfield in the Icardo Center. CSUB knocked down just 1-of-11 attempts from distance while Kansas City made 6-of-18 in the win.

Bakersfield (11-15, 5-6 WAC) wrapped up a two-game home stint and will hit the road once again. The `Runners are headed north to take on Utah Valley and Seattle U next week before returning to Bakersfield for their final two home games of the season.

~GoRunners.com~
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