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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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UTEP Athletics
56
Winner Fresno St. Fresno 4-7,0-0 Mountain West
48
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 4-7,0-0 Big West
Winner
Fresno St. Fresno
4-7,0-0 Mountain West
56
Final
48
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
4-7,0-0 Big West
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Fresno St. Fresno 27 29 56
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 27 21 48

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Written by James Tsitakis-Cecil

CSUB Falls to Fresno State in Packed Icardo Center

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team hosted cross-valley rival Fresno State in an attempt to "Sweep the Valley" after the Roadrunner women's team held off the Bulldogs on Fresno's own home court. In an even-keeled matchup that featured two teams desperate to beat their rival, Fresno State came out as the winner, 56-48, keeping the `Runners from completing the sweep. Regardless, the men proved they are not to be taken lightly while putting up relentless effort, both offensively and defensively, against the odds.

Notables
  • Kaleb Higgins paced all `Runners with 18 points, and although not a season-high for him, Higgins was pivotal in keeping the offense afloat even when Fresno State took and held the lead through the remainder of the game.
  • Despite the loss, there are positive takeaways for CSUB, as the defense continues to look strong and coach Barnes seems to have found a consistent starting lineup that he feels comfortable with and performs well together.
  • The tale-of-the-tape was CSUB's 29% shooting from the field in combination with the inability to contain Fresno State's perimeter shooting.
  • In a packed Icardo Center, the energy was absolutely electric, and the crowd never wavered due to the fans' faith in the team's ability despite not being able to complete the sweep of the valley.
Quotes from Head Coach Rod Barnes
  • On his relationship with Fresno State's head coach: "Obviously, when we are competing against each other, there is no friendship, but outside of the game we respect each other."
  • "Sometimes these games can get out of hand, but I thought it was great sportsmanship on both sides of the court."
  • "We are a much better team than we were a few weeks ago, but we have to be a better team to compete in our league going forward. We also have a lot of things we want to work on. . . If we can play like we did in the first half more often, we'll be alright."
Next on the Schedule
  • The team breaks for the holiday weekend before starting Big West play against UC Riverside.
  • at UC Riverside, Dec. 29, 5 p.m. (PT)
  • Full schedule available at GoRunners.com/MBB
  • CSUB Season Tickets and Single-Game Tickets available at GoRunners.com/Tickets
First Half
  • The half got off to a back-and-forth start between what seemed like two evenly matched opponents. The lead had already changed five time before the midway point, and both teams were playing physically tough defense to dampen each other's shooting threats.
  • Kaleb Higgins and Cameron Smith led the `Runners offense in the half, each with 8 points. Higgins also had a highlight-worthy dribble and underneath layup that helped tie the game nearing the end of the half.
  • The CSUB defense proved to be tough to penetrate beyond the three-point line, as a good handful of Fresno State's points came from either downtown shots or free throws after contested opportunities. By the end of the first half, the Bulldogs shot 6-of-15 on three's while only 6 points came from the paint.
  • The game was not controlled by either team during the half, as CSUB and Fresno State went into the break tied at 27-27.
Second Half
  • Fresno State shored up its short-range defense, with a few CSUB passes into the paint being stolen and converted into points that saw Fresno State take the largest lead of the game through the midway point of the half.
  • CSUB never stopped fighting in its pursuit of the valley, answering Fresno State point-for-point even after the Bulldogs pulled ahead and retained the lead through the final minutes of the game.
  • Although Kaleb Higgins was automatic from the free throw line with a perfect 10-for-10 while tallying a game-leading 18 points, Fresno State never let go of the lead that it took early in the half.
  • Cameron Smith was two points shy of another double-double, putting up 8 points while easily pacing all players with 12 rebounds.
  • Despite a strong offensive push late from the `Runners, Fresno State held strong and put up points evenly, keeping CSUB from tying.
~GoRunners.com~
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