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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography
79
Winner UC Irvine Irvine 8-5,1-0 Big West
75
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 4-9,0-2 Big West
Winner
UC Irvine Irvine
8-5,1-0 Big West
79
Final
75
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
4-9,0-2 Big West
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UC Irvine Irvine 33 46 79
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 39 36 75

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

`Runners Drop 4-Point Battle Against UC Irvine

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Taking on one of the historically most successful programs in the Big West, Cal State Bakersfield's men's basketball team held an 11-point first half lead against UC Irvine (8-5, 1-0 BW) on Saturday. The visiting Anteaters pushed back to take a lead early in the second half before the two teams battled to the end of CSUB Big West home opener. Ultimately, the Roadrunners (4-9, 0-2 BW) fell, 79-75, as Irvine's free throw shooting sealed the deal.

Notables
  • Junior forward Antavion Collum posted a career-high 20 points in Saturday's loss. Collum has now averaged 11.8 points over his last five games.
  • Sophomore Marvin McGhee III tallied 12 of his 15 points in the second half.
  • Point guard Kaleb Higgins added 13 points and six assists for Bakersfield.
  • UCI saw five different players score in double digits in the game, led by 17 from guard Dawson Baker.
  • The Anteaters went 30-for-51 from the free throw line while CSUB was 22-for-27 at the charity stripe. The `Runners came into the game allowing opponents to attempt an average of just under 19 free throws per game.
Quotes
  • "Me and coach talked about [playing a bigger role on offense]. He just told me he's going to give me a little bit more and a little bit more. He told me to be more aggressive, take more shots, and shoot with more confidence." – Antavion Collum on his career-high in scoring
  • "We got to lock in defensively…I feel like our team is showing we're an NCAA team. We just have to put two halves together. If we put two halves together, we'll be playing in late late March." – Marvin McGhee III
  • "When you're playing a team of the caliber of Irvine, you've got to play 40 minutes of good basketball. You've also got to play with the same confidence throughout the game. They play really well, they're well coached, they've got good talent, they're really deep…We've got to put 40 minutes together. We've got to have more guys playing together on the same night…It's 18 more conference games to go, so as I told our guys, it's nothing to panic over, but we want to get in the win column." – Head Coach Rod Barnes
Next on the Schedule
  • CSUB continues Big West play next week with a home-road split
  • vs. Cal Poly (7-6, 1-0 BW), Thursday, Jan. 5, 7 p.m. (PT)
  • at UC Davis (7-6, 0-1 BW), Saturday, Jan. 7, 5 p.m. (PT)
  • Full schedule available at GoRunners.com/MBB
  • CSUB Season Tickets and Single-Game Tickets available at GoRunners.com/Tickets or by calling 661-654-BLUE or 661-654-GOLD
First Half
  • Bakersfield sprinted out to a quick advantage, leading UCU 18-9 less than seven minutes into the half.
  • The Anteaters closed the gap to four points at 22-18, but the `Runners extended back out to a nine-point advantage.
  • The two teams went to the locker room with CSUB leading 39-33 thanks to a half-court heave at the buzzer from the Anteaters.
  • Collum had 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting while Higgins tallied six points and five assists.
  • CSUB shot 54 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes.
Second Half
  • Carrying over from the end of the first half, UCI put together an 11-0 and took its first lead, 40-39, three minutes into the second period.
  • UCI slowly grew its lead as Bakersfield was unable to get its offense rolling again down the stretch. The Anteaters led by as many as 13 points, 74-61, with a minute and a half left.
  • Bakersfield clawed its way to a four-point deficit late in the game, but UCI held on for the 79-75 win.
  • McGhee scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half.
  • Travis Henson wrapped up the game with nine points, five rebounds, and a pair of blocks for Bakersfield.
  • CSUB's 75 points was the squad's highest offensive showing of the season (against Division I opponents).
~GoRunners.com~
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