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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography
59
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 4-3,0-0 Big West
69
Winner Abilene Christian ACU 7-2,0-0 WAC
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
4-3,0-0 Big West
59
Final
69
Abilene Christian ACU
7-2,0-0 WAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 21 38 59
Abilene Christian ACU 27 42 69

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

`Runners Drop Defensive Battle at Abilene Christian

ABILENE, Texas – A defensive battle raged inside of the Teague Center on Wednesday night as CSU Bakersfield and Abilene Christian scraped for every point. When the dust settled the visiting Roadrunners fell to the host Wildcats, 69-59, with free throw shooting proving to be the biggest difference.

Abilene Christian (7-2), an NCAA Tournament Second Round team in 2021, never led by more than 12 points in the game as the `Runners (4-3) fought to keep their hosts within reach. Both teams played solid defense, but Bakersfield's aggressiveness sent ACU to the free throw line more often. The Wildcats hit 30-of-40 from the charity stripe while CSUB went 11-for-20. With the win, Abilene extended its home winning streak to 19-straight games.

"I didn't think we followed the game plan like we really should have," said Rod Barnes, Bakersfield's Head Coach. "Too many times they got to the free throw line. We turned the ball over too much, especially early in the game…We have to give them the credit for fighting harder than we did to get the win. I told our guys it's really hard to go on the road and win. You've got to have a different kind of mentality and tonight we didn't have that kind of mentality."

The `Runners and Wildcats played a tight first half that featured five lead changes. With six minutes left in the opening period, ACU's Coryon Mason nailed a jumper to give the home team a 19-18 lead. The Wildcats finished the half on an 8-3 run to take a 27-21 lead into the locker room.

Bakersfield played an even first period with ACU in most categories, but foul trouble sent the Wildcats to the free throw line early and often. The Cats made 10-of-13 free throws compared to 4-for-9 for CSUB.

Abilene opened a 10-point lead early in the second half, but Bakersfield responded with a 7-0 run to close the gap. A Justin Edler-Davis corner three-pointer tied the score at 37-37 briefly, but ACU kept the `Runners just out of reach for the rest of the half.

After a six-point spurt from junior Cameron Smith helped the `Runners pull within five points, Abilene went on a 10-2 run to take its biggest lead of the contest, 62-49, with three and a half minutes remaining. CSUB point guard Kaleb Higgins hit a few big shots down the stretch, helping the `Runners cut the deficit to single digits multiple times, but the Cats made their free throws to ice the game.

Higgins scored 14 of his game-high 17 points in the second half. The `Runners also looked to Edler-Davis, who tallied 13 points and three rebounds. Fellow super senior Justin McCall played a game-high 32 minutes while adding 11 points, eight boards, and a pair of steals.

On the game, CSUB shot 39.5 percent from the field, nearly matching ACU's 39.3 percent effort exactly. The `Runners outscored the Cats 26-20 in the paint and Bakersfield earned a 37-30 advantage in the rebounding department.

CSUB will stay on the road, making its way to Boulder, Colo. in preparation for its final non-conference road game. On Saturday, Dec. 18, CSUB will go toe-to-toe with Pac-12 member Colorado before turning to Bakersfield. Fans can watch Saturday's game live on the Pac-12 Networks.

~GoRunners.com~
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