CSUB 64, UC San Diego 76 – Saturday, Dec. 28

• Bakersfield opened up conference play in La Jolla taking on the Tritons.
• Cameron Wilbon and Marvin McGhee III led the `Runners in scoring. Wilbon finished the first half with 9 points (4-6) and McGhee III finished the first half with 10 points (4-7).
• UC San Diego led CSUB 23-34 going into the half.
• The Roadrunners came out in the second half and shot 60% from the field and 57% from three-point range.
• McGhee III finished the game with 18 points, a season high while shooting 4-8 from three-point range.

CSUB 56, UC Irvine 75 – Saturday, Dec. 30

• The `Runners came back home Saturday night to close out 2023 hosting UC Irvine.
• .There were three Roadrunners that finished in double digits
  • Kaleb Higgins had 18 points, Ugnius Jarusevicius had 12 points, and Fidelis Okereke finished with 10 points.
  • Okereke finished with his first double-double of the year bringing down 10 rebounds.
• Bakersfield struggled in the second half shooting 29% in the second half, and Irvine was able to take the lead and shoot an impressive 76% CSUB remains undefeated at home as they head into conference play..

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CSUB 52, UC San Diego 48 – Thursday, Dec. 28

• The Roadrunners fought through a Tritons comeback attempt in a defensive slugfest that saw the score tied and have lead changes 7 times each. CSUB forced 19 turnovers, converting 24 points off those in the process.
• Jordan Olivares posted a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) while Shaunae Brown led the game with 19 points on the way to the `Runners taking a nail-biting win down to the final seconds.
• The back-and-forth contest initially had UCSD taking an early lead, at one point nearing double-digits, before Bakersfield pulled it back close to halftime when Brown and Olivares combined for three downtown conversions in the final two minutes.
• The Tritons came out of the break firing on all cylinders and were back in the driver's seat before the `Runners were able to finally settle and play lockdown defense.
• A 7-0 run over the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, along with stop-after-stop from inside the paint helped Bakersfield secure the late win. 
• Just five `Runners got on the scoreboard, but Nseije Ortiz led the team with 3 steals and 3 assists, while Grace Hunter tallied 8 points and 2 steals in her first game back since the Thanksgiving road trip.

CSUB 48, UC Irvine 71 – Saturday, Dec. 30

• In the much-anticipated Big West Quarterfinals rematch, Bakersfield went into Irvine riding its first two-game win streak since mid-November as the Anteaters were looking for revenge from 2023's upset playoff result.
• The Roadrunners did not back down from the onset, as Irvine attempted to catch CSUB off its guard but was surprised by the tenacity of a refreshed `Runners squad searching for its third win in a row. However, shooting troubles quickly ensued for the `Runners, as they were unable to knock down easy shots or three-pointers like they had in the previous two wins.
• Despite this, the CSUB defense stood tall to prevent UCI from running away with the score, as the Anteaters just barely broke a first half tie to go into halftime up 33-30 over Bakersfield. Coming out of the break, Irvine turned on the jets and jumped out to a massive run that saw the `Runners quickly fall into a double-digit hole.
• After going down to a twenty-point deficit at times in the second half, Bakersfield was never able to recover and match Irvine shot-for shot. Even so, Julia Riley continued her breakout sophomore season to lead the `Runners with 17 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-8 from downtown.
• CSUB now makes its second furthest road trip of the year with a trip across the Pacific to Hawai'i as the only game on this week's schedule.