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January 08 2021: CSU Bakersfield vs Cal Poly
David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography
47
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 10-4,6-1 Big West
45
UC Riverside UCR 6-4,3-2 Big West
Winner
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
10-4,6-1 Big West
47
Final
45
UC Riverside UCR
6-4,3-2 Big West
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 20 27 47
UC Riverside UCR 22 23 45

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

`Runners Prevail In Battle of Top 20 Defenses

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A defensive brawl between a pair of the nation's Top 20 defenses raged inside SRC Arena Friday evening and the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team came out on top of Big West Conference foe UC Riverside. The Roadrunners (10-4, 6-1) overcame a nine-point deficit over the final ten minutes to hand the Highlanders (6-4, 3-2 BWC) a 47-45 defeat with senior Taze Moore's last-second jumper sealing the deal.

"We had run a similar play earlier to try to get Taze the ball," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "Our guys executed that play and it's only the second time we had ran it this year…You have to give [UC Riverside] credit. They are a really good defensive team with a good defensive scheme and their coach does a great job." With the win, Barnes' squad earned its sixth-straight victory since dropping the Big West opener to Long Beach State in overtime.

While Moore's go-ahead basket put CSUB ahead with 3.1 seconds remaining, Barnes credited Bakersfield's defense and bench for the victory: "Our whole focus was that we had to get our defense back to where it was. We had to get stops and get some easy baskets in transition. I thought our substitutions and depth played a big factor in tonight's win."

After earning Big West Conference Player of the Week honors on Monday, Moore continued his strong play by leading CSUB with 14 points and four rebounds on Friday. Barnes received points from nine of the eleven `Runners who played against UCR and senior De'Monte Buckingham chipped in six points and six rebounds in the winning effort.

First Half

Bakersfield jumped out to an early, 9-2 lead on its host, but UC Riverside did not let the game out of hand. Despite Bakersfield's strong defensive half, the Highlanders used a 10-0 run over the final three minutes of the half to take a 22-20 lead into halftime.

Moore led Bakersfield with seven points, three rebounds, an assist, and a block in the first period. Fellow senior Shawn Stith chipped in four points and a pair of rebounds. The `Runners shot 33 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes while holding the Highlanders to just 28 percent shooting. The difference in the first half was a slim advantage at the free throw line as UCR went 4-for-4 while Bakersfield was kept off the line entirely.

Second Half

UC Riverside's momentum continued rolling into the second half as the Highlanders found themselves leading 37-28 just over eight minutes in. UCR's nine-point lead remained in place heading into the home stretch, but the `Runners outscored their hosts 19-8 over the 10 minutes of the game. Moore buried a three-pointer just inside the four-minute mark to bring CSUB within two points, 43-41. With three seconds remaining, the native of Southaven, Miss. nailed a baseline jumper to put CSUB ahead for good and clinch the win for the `Runners.

Moore scored five points over the final four minutes while CSUB's defense held UCR to just two points over the final 5:37. Czar Perry, Bakersfield's point guard, added two points, seven rebounds, and three assists against UCR. Senior center Ronne Readus posted four points, three boards, and a career-high four blocks.

Tomorrow

CSUB and UCR will return to SRC Arena on Friday to close out the Big West series with one more game. The `Runners and Highlanders will once again tip off at 4 p.m. (PT) in Riverside, Calif. with the game streamed live via BigWest.TV.

~GoRunners.com~
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