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January 08 2021: CSU Bakersfield vs Cal Poly
David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography
60
LIFE Pacific Life 1-1
85
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 1-1,0-0 Big West
LIFE Pacific Life
1-1
60
Final
85
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
1-1,0-0 Big West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
LIFE Pacific Life 30 30 60
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 43 42 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

CSUB Downs Life Pacific for Barnes' 350th Career Win

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – In CSU Bakersfield's home opener Saturday night, the Roadrunner men's basketball team pulled away from Life Pacific for an 85-60 victory. Besides getting the team into the win column for the first time on the young season, CSUB's win was also the 350th in Head Coach Rod Barnes' storied career.

"I couldn't start without thanking God for the many opportunities that I've had and the many coaches that I've worked with," Barnes said while looking back on a career full of success. "There have been so many players that have worked hard to help me get to this 350 wins. All I can do is thank all of them."

"We're still searching for chemistry and a rotation," Barnes said about his team's performance on Saturday. "We have a bunch of guys that are available to us to play and it's going to be a long process, as I told them, before we start really coming into sync with being that team we all want to be."

The `Runners struggled to get the offense going in the opening minutes of the game, but Bakersfield's stingy defense prevented Life Pacific from getting ahead. From an 18-18 tie about 10 minutes into the contest, CSUB finished the first half on a 25-10 run to earn a 43-30 advantage at the break.

In the first period, CSUB turned 10 Life Pacific turnovers into 13 points. The `Runners also outscored the Warriors 22-10 in the paint, pounding the rock deep into the front court.
Bakersfield's early offensive woes gave way to a solid second half as the `Runners blew the game wide open. CSUB surged ahead by as many as 33 points and held on for an 85-60 victory in the Icardo Center.

Part of Bakersfield's success hinged on a big scoring spurt from newcomer Kaleb Higgins. The junior college transfer scored four-straight baskets for CSUB over a two and a half minute stretch, helping Bakersfield pull away from its visitor.

On the night, Higgins finished with a game-high 17 points while chipping in three assists and a pair of steals. Sixth-year `Runner Justin Edler-Davis wrapped up the game with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting while adding five boards. Senior forward Justin McCall posted 14 points and six boards and point guard Shaun Williams tallied six of Bakersfield's 18 assists.

Against Life Pacific, CSUB shot 50% from the field, but struggled to find the bottom of the net from distance. The `Runners hit just 6-of-23 (.261) from three-point range. Bakersfield finished the contest with 45 rebounds to Life Pacific's 24 and CSUB forced 18 turnovers on the night.

After earning a victory in its home opener, Bakersfield (1-1) will head back out on the road for its next game. The `Runners have a date with Northern Arizona in Flagstaff on Thursday, Nov. 18. CSUB and NAU will clash on ESPN+ with tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m. (PT).

~GoRunners.com~
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