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David Dennis / All-Star Sports Photography
44
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 10-21,6-14 Big West
52
Winner UC Irvine Irvine 22-10,15-5 Big West
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
10-21,6-14 Big West
44
Final
52
UC Irvine Irvine
22-10,15-5 Big West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 18 26 44
UC Irvine Irvine 29 23 52

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

CSUB Nearly Spoils UCI's Big West Title Hopes in Irvine

IRVINE, Calif. – The Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team attempted to play spoiler to UC Irvine's Big West title hopes on Saturday night. The Roadrunners gave the Anteaters everything they could handle, but UCI held on for a 52-45 victory on its home court in the regular-season finale and claimed co-Big West Champion bragging rights.

Notables
  • UC Irvine came into the game with the second-highest scoring average in The Big West at 75.9 points per game. CSUB held the Anteaters to just 52 points, UCI's lowest scoring output of the season.
  • A pair of CSUB forwards led the `Runners at the Bren Events Center: Antavion Collum tallied 20 points while Cameron Smith added 12 points and eight rebounds.
  • Sophomore Dalph Panopio chipped in eight points and six boards off the bench.
  • The `Runners trailed UCI by 11 at halftime and cut their deficit to just four points in the second half, but CSUB could not complete the rally as Irvine hit its free throws down the stretch.
  • CSUB made just 30% of its field goal attempts, but the `Runners forced 18 Anteater turnovers in the contest.
Next on the Schedule
  • Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championship, presented by The Hawaiian Islands
  • Mar. 7-11, 2023
  • Henderson, Nev. / Dollar Loan Center
  • First Round game on Tuesday, Mar. 7, at 6 p.m. (PT)
  • CSUB's full schedule at the Big West Championship available at GoRunners.com/MBB
  • Tickets for the Big West Basketball Championship are available now. Visit GoRunners.com/Tickets or call 661-654-BLUE or 661-654-GOLD for more information.
First Half
  • UCI jumped out to a 20-8 advantage in the first nine minutes as Bakersfield struggled to defend the three ball.
  • The `Runners held the potent Anteaters to just three points over the final five minutes of the period, but Bakersfield's offense struggled to find a rhythm and it went to halftime with a 29-18 deficit.
  • CSUB shot 33% from the field while going 0-for-5 from three-point range. On the other side of the court, UCI converted 50% of its field goals and went 4-for-13 from distance.
Second Half
  • The `Runners went on a 12-3 run to pull within four points, 34-30, but UCI answered right back with back-to-back three-pointers to go up by 10 again.
  • CSUB kept UCI within striking distance for the rest of the period, but the `Runners were never able to close the gap.
  • The Anteaters hit their free throws down the stretch, holding off Bakersfield for the 52-44 victory.
  • Bakersfield went 0-for-10 from three-point range on the night.
~GoRunners.com~
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