CSUB to Kick Off Season at No. 2 UCLA

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A road trip to Los Angeles to face No. 2 UCLA is on the docket for the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team. The Roadrunners and Bruins will clash at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday, Nov. 9, as both teams open the 2021-22 season.

"I have always wanted to play against the best and compete against the best," said CSUB Head Coach Rod Barnes when asked about taking on a high-ranked opponent in UCLA. "It makes you better when you're challenged all the time…I thought 'what an opportunity for us to play against a team that went to the Final Four' and we get a chance to play them right away."

In an interview with 23ABC, fifth-year senior Shawn Stith expressed confidence in his team to compete against any opponent, including the Bruins: "The rankings don't mean anything. We all made it at the end of the day. We've just got to come out and do what we do at the end of the day. We're tough and we play hard and this is going to be one of our best teams offensively."

Bakersfield and UCLA have clashed twice in their all-time series (2009 and 2017), but only once in the Rod Barnes era. When the `Runners last traveled to face the Bruins on Nov. 29, 2017, UCLA held just a two-point lead over CSUB at halftime. The Bruins held off a late surge by the `Runners to earn a nine-point victory, 75-66.

CSUB unofficially kicked off the season on Saturday night with an exhibition victory over San Diego Christian. While the `Runner offense exploded for 100 points against the Hawks, Barnes said he is not yet satisfied with his team's defensive output. Bakersfield will finish final preparations ahead of Tuesday's contest at UCLA and prepare for a battle.

UCLA will also be opening its season on Tuesday night after the Bruins downed Chico State on Thursday, Nov. 4. UCLA also tallied 100 points in their exhibition win. The Bruins finished the 2020-21 season with a 22-10 record and made a push to the Final Four before falling to Gonzaga in overtime in the national semifinal.

Tuesday's game in Los Angeles is set for an 8 p.m. (PT) tipoff. Fans can follow along live on the television broadcast on Pac-12 Network. Links to the broadcast, live stats, tickets, and more can be found at GoRunners.com/Live.

~GoRunners.com~

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Players Mentioned

#32 Shawn Stith: F; 6' 8"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#32 Shawn Stith
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F

Players Mentioned

#32 Shawn Stith

Players Mentioned

#32 Shawn Stith