BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A rusty defensive effort was offset by an outstanding offensive performance from the Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team on Thursday morning. The Roadrunners sprinted away from the University of Antelope Valley for an 80-62 exhibition victory on the Valley Strong Court.

Notables

• Junior guard Kaleb Higgins posted 18 first-half points on the way to a game-high 25 points (9-of-10 FT).
• Junior guard/forward Antavion Collum tallied 19 points while adding eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
• Bakersfield went 25-for-31 (.806) from the free throw line, an area the `Runners have struggled over the past few years.
• Sophomore guard Ivan Reynolds played a game-high 37 minutes while chipping in five points, four rebounds, and four assists.
• Nearly 3,000 Kern County school children cheered the `Runners to victory during Thursday's Education Day.

• Higgins: "Today was a lot of fun. We did a lot of great things out there. We got to come back and work on some things, like our transition defense, but overall I feel good about the team and I feel good about this season."
• Junior Antavion Collum: "I feel like, for this to be the first home game, we played well as a team. There were certain little things that we got to emphasize that will hurt us in the long run."
• Head Coach Rod Barnes: "I'm thankful every year to have the opportunity to coach here at CSUB and I'm really looking forward to this season. I thought there were some good things that happened today…Our veterans, who we have been leaning on, I thought they played well. Kaleb Higgins and Dude (Collum) played well today. That really helped us and that's what we need to expect from them until we get some of our new, inexperienced guys some more playing time and get them more familiar with what we're doing."
• The Dignity Health Postgame Press Conference is available live and on demand at Facebook.com/CSUBAthletics

• CSUB hosts San Diego Christian in the regular-season opener
• Monday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m. (PT)
• Bakersfield, Calif., Icardo Center
• Season Tickets and Single-Game Tickets available at GoRunners.com/Tickets
• Links to ESPN+ broadcast available at GoRunners.com/Live

• CSUB used a 13-0 run to gain big separation early in the period. The `Runners led 38-28 at the break.
• Bakersfield shot a solid percentage (.406) from the field, but seven first-half turnovers slowed down the `Runner offense.
• Higgins led the way with 18 points in the first 20 minutes.

• UAV pulled within four points at 55-51 around halfway through the period.
• The `Runners surged again, catalyzed by the offensive effort of Collum.
• CSUB shot 50 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, pulling away from UAV all the way to the final buzzer for an 18-point victory.

~GoRunners.com~