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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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David Dennis / All-Star Sports Photography
52
UC San Diego UCSD 6-11,1-4 Big West
56
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 6-11,2-4 Big West
UC San Diego UCSD
6-11,1-4 Big West
52
Final
56
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
6-11,2-4 Big West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UC San Diego UCSD 30 22 52
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 18 38 56

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

`Runners Erase 14-Point 2nd-Half Deficit to Defeat UCSD

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Trailing by 14 points with 11:29 remaining in the game, the Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team ignited a 22-3 run to surge past visiting UC San Diego for a victory on Saturday afternoon. The Roadrunners closed out a 56-52 victory in the Icardo Center, led by freshman Ugnius Jarusevicius' season-high 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half.

Notables
  • Jarusevicius went 7-for-15 from the field and capped CSUB's 22-3 run with a dagger three-pointer with less than 90 seconds left in the game. The Lithuanian ended the contest with 16 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and a block.
  • Bakersfield's rally was necessary due to a season-low 18 points in the first half, but the Roadrunner defense held a normally-efficient UCSD offense to just five points over the final 11 and a half minutes.
  • CSUB received big boosts in the second half from Cameron Smith (10 points) and Modestas Kancleris (eight points). Freshman Kaseem Watson gave CSUB a spark in the first half on his way to a season-high 10 points.
  • The `Runners went 5-for-8 from three-point range in the second period, but defense was the primary catalyst for the comeback. Bakersfield turned 13 UCSD turnovers into 15 points on the other end of the floor.
Quotes
  • "Our coaching staff just continues to grind with us, day in and day out, through adversity. They just challenge us each and every day, challenging us who we are and what we do when adversity hits. Tonight we just showed fight." – senior forward Cameron Smith
  • "The first half was really bad. We were shooting terrible. In the second half, we just started to make our shots, figuring out each other. Basketball is all about runs, so once we hit a couple three-pointers, we started feeling good." – sophomore forward Modestas Kancleris
  • "I don't think we played our game in the first half. We played soft…We got in our locker room, talked about our game, and we went out and played harder. That was the key to victory today." – freshman forward Ugnius Jarusevicius
  • "I'm just thankful to God for a win. We've been needing to win games and I thought this game was very important…just to keep our team confident and keep us moving in the right direction. I told our guys a lot of guys could have gotten the game ball today if we gave out a game ball. It was a team effort. I was excited to see our guys believe in the defense in the second half." – Head Coach Rod Barnes
Next on the Schedule
  • After a short stint at home CSUB (6-11, 2-4 BW) heads back out on the road for a pair of games next week
  • at Cal State Fullerton (9-9, 3-3 BW), Monday, Jan. 16, 7 p.m. (PT)
  • at UC Santa Barbara (13-2, 4-0 BW), Saturday, Jan. 21, 7 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 stuttered on offense to start of the game as UC San Diego slowly built up a 10-point lead, 22-12, with six minutes left in the half.
  • The Tritons led by as many as 14 points and took a 30-18 advantage to halftime.
  • CSUB's 18 points is a season low for a single half.
  • Watson, a freshman from Philadelphia, provided a nice spark off the bench, posting a team-high eight points for Bakersfield.
  • The `Runners shot just 32 percent from the field in the first half while UCSD hit 48 percent of their shots.
Second Half
  • UCSD got back up to its biggest lead, 14 points, a couple times in the second half, but the `Runners never let the Tritons pull away.
  • CSUB trailed its visitors 47-33 with 11:29 on the clock before going on its big run.
  • For more from the second half, see Notables section above.
~GoRunners.com~
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