Sports Editor
There was no let down for the CSU Bakersfield men’s basketball team before its highly-anticipated game against New Mexico State University.
CSUB rolled past the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley 77-58 in the Icardo Center on Thursday.
The Roadrunners (14-5, 4-0 Western Athletic Conference) extended their winning streak to six games and they have yet to lose in 2016. They also stayed undefeated at home (9-0).
“Really, it wasn’t a surprise as far as our guys coming out and playing really well,” said CSUB head coach Rod Barnes. “I thought we played a really good game. I thought our execution was great.”
The Roadrunners were dominant throughout much of the game but had a bit of a scare in the second half as UTRGV (6-14, 2-3 WAC) got within five points when forward Dakota Slaughter hit a three to make the score 43-38 with 14:14 remaining in the game.
However, CSUB began to regain its lead when senior center Aly Ahmed began to contribute for the team.
Ahmed had 16 points in the game and 12 of those points came in the second half. Ahmed was also able to grab seven rebounds.
“We made a lot of mistakes to leading up to them catching up and we just had to buckle down and play solid defense to expand on that lead,” said CSUB senior forward Kevin Mays, who led the Roadrunners in scoring with 21 points and 10 rebounds earning his fifth double-double of the season.
“We got guys like (redshirt-freshman guard) Damiyne Durham that come off the bench, and he can score with the best of them. We just got so many weapons on our team. It’s kind of like unreal sometimes.”
Junior guard Dedrick Basile said that the team’s chemistry is very high and everyone is comfortable.
“I just play my game and I can play off Kevin and Aly,” Basile said. “If they play hard on Damiyne, I could just do what I do right there.”
Basile was also a big contributor for the Roadrunners as he was able to score 16 points, making 7 of his 11 attempts from the floor and dishing out five assists.
CSUB can now look ahead to playing New Mexico State (12-8, 4-1 WAC) on Saturday in the Icardo Center at 7 p.m.
The last time these two teams met was in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament last year when the Aggies eliminated the Roadrunners, 57-53.
According to gorunners.com, nearly 3,200 tickets have already been sold for Saturday’s game. The Icardo Center’s capacity is 3,625. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket window. They can also be purchased by calling 654-BLUE (2543).
