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CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners vs Idaho Vandals at Icardo Center
David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography
62
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 12-7,8-4 Big West
57
UC Irvine Irvine 10-6,6-2 Big West
Winner
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
12-7,8-4 Big West
62
Final
57
UC Irvine Irvine
10-6,6-2 Big West
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 31 31 62
UC Irvine Irvine 30 27 57

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

CSUB Hands Big West Leader UCI First Home Loss

IRVINE, Calif. – For the first time all season, UC Irvine lost a game on its home floor and CSU Bakersfield was the team to blemish the Anteaters' record in a back and forth game Saturday night on ESPNU. The Roadrunners shook off a loss the night before and handed the Anteaters a 62-57 defeat in the Bren Events Center as UCI fell to 8-1 on its home court.
 
"Our team is very resilient and I'm thankful to God for these young men," said CSUB Head Coach Rod Barnes about his team's ability to bounce back after a tough loss on Friday. "They have a heart to represent our University and our program. We just have to continue to be patient."
 
Bakersfield (12-7, 8-4 BWC) outlasted Irvine (10-6, 6-2 BWC) in a tightly contested game that featured 10 lead changes and 12 ties. Down the stretch, CSUB did not trail for the final 14 minutes and 22 seconds, holding off UCI's advances and handing the Big West leader just its second league loss of the season.
 
Senior forward Justin McCall, the Big West's reigning Player of the Week, led all student-athletes with 15 points on Saturday night to go with five rebounds and two assists. Fellow forward Shawn Stith added 12 points for the `Runners, including a clutch, shot-clock-beating three-pointer late in the game.
 
One of the unsung heroes of Saturday night's victory was redshirt senior Justin Edler-Davis, who guarded one of the league's best Big Men in Collin Welp all night while giving up five inches to UCI's forward. Barnes had high praises for the effect Edler-Davis had on the defensive end: "He did a great job…I'm just proud of him. He doesn't ever ask about size or weight, he just goes about playing the game. That's why he's been so important to our program."
 
Edler-Davis finished the night with six points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block. The native of San Diego did all of that in 32 minutes of action while holding Welp to just 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

First Half

The `Runners and 'Eaters played a tight first half that featured eight lead changes and five ties. UCI used a 7-0 run to take the biggest lead of the game, 27-21, with six minutes to play in the half. CSUB answered right back with a 10-3 run to end the period as the `Runners went to the locker room with a 31-30 advantage. This surge made CSUB the first team to lead UCI at halftime on its home court since Dec. 7, 2019 (California Baptist).
 
In the opening 20 minutes, seven different `Runners scored with Stith leading the way with his seven points. Senior center Ronne Readus chipped in two points and eight rebounds, six of which came from the offensive glass.
 
CSUB shot just 30 percent from the floor in the first half while UCI converted nearly 48 percent of its own shots. The `Runners managed to flip the script from Friday's game, enjoying an advantage at the free throw line (11-of-15 vs. 5-of-7) that helped offset the shooting woes.

Second Half

The two teams continued trading baskets through the early parts of the second half. UCI held a 40-38 lead until a pair of Taze Moore free throws at 14:22 tied the score once again. From that point on, Bakersfield would never trail again despite Irvine's repeated attempts to get regain the lead.
 
Moore, who hails from Southaven, Miss., kissed a jumper off the glass with 1:45 remaining and put CSUB ahead 58-56. After a UCI free throw went in, point guard Czar Perry found McCall in the paint for one of Perry's four assists on the night, which put CSUB back ahead by three points. The `Runner defense smothered their hosts on UCI's final possessions and Bakersfield closed out the big game on ESPNU with a five-point victory.
 
In one of Bakersfield's tightest games all season, neither team led by more than six points at any point in the contest. With two of the best rebounding teams in the country going hard on the glass, CSUB came out with a 37-31 rebounding advantage on Saturday. Fifteen of Bakersfield's 37 boards came on the offensive end, which is why CSUB has ranked among the nation's leading in the category all season.
 
Redshirt senior De'Monte Buckingham posted nine points and four rebounds for CSUB in Irvine. Moore added six points, three rebounds, and two steals while Readus wrapped up the evening with two points and nine boards.
 
Next Week

CSUB will return to the Icardo Center next week for a two-game series, Feb. 12-13. The `Runners will host fellow Big West newcomer UC San Diego in a pair of non-conference games on Bakersfield's blue Valley Strong Court. Both contests will be broadcasted live on ESPN3 and the ESPN app.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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