By Peter Castillo  

Sports Editor

  Last season, the CSU Bakersfield women’s basketball team’s season came to a screeching halt in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament after going into the tournament with a three-game winning streak.

  That team, which was upset in overtime by seventh-seeded Utah Valley University, finished the season with a 15-14 record overall and a second-place finish with a 10-4 mark in conference play.

  CSUB Head Coach Greg McCall feels that the upset in the conference tournament has fueled the team this offseason and has made them even more driven.

  “We really think that this could be the year that we turn the corner and get over the top,” said CSUB Head Coach Greg McCall. “As we continue to learn and grow more and more as team, we’re going to be OK down the road.”

  The Roadrunners were selected in the coaches’ poll to finish second in the WAC behind perennial power New Mexico State University. The Aggies have won the conference title each of the last three seasons.

  CSUB will have to deal with the loss of Erika Williams, who graduated last spring. Williams scored over 1,000 points during her time in Bakersfield and finished her career ranked in the CSUB top ten of many statistical categories.

  CSUB will also be without Addi Walters, a guard who transferred to Stetson University this season. 

  Walters was named WAC Freshman of the Year in 2016, but saw her minutes and production dip in her sophomore season last year.

  The Roadrunners will be led this season by redshirt-senior center Jazmyne Bartee and senior forward Aja Williams.

  “They are a talented group, but the rest of the conference is talented too,” said Jon Doss of KBAK. “The parity at the top of the conference is going to be really impressive.”

  Bartee led the WAC with 74 blocked shots last season which set a CSUB record. She tallied 8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and was named to the WAC’s All Defensive Team as a result. She was also named to the All-WAC Second Team.

  Bartee also set a CSUB record by blocking eight shots in a game last season against Utah Valley University.

  This season, she was named to the Preseason All-WAC First Team in the coaches’ poll.

  Williams averaged 11.3 points and 4 rebounds per game. She scored a career-high 35 points and tied the CSUB record for three-point field goals with 9 in a game on the road against California last season.

  Wiliams is being counted on this season to shoulder the load on offense this season.

  “Both of them are seniors and they have been through the fire during their first year here,” said McCall. “Now they understand what it takes for us to get there and to be successful.”

  Bartee and Williams were both named to the All-WAC Newcomer Team last season.

  Junior guard Alexxus Gilbert and sophomore guard Kate Tokuhara will make up the starting backcourt this season.

  Gilbert was second among returing players in assists last season and will likely share much of the ball-handling duties with Williams.

  Tokuhara is a tall, versatile defender who is a knockdown three-point shooter as well. She shot over 38 percent from distance during her freshman season.

  New additions have joined this season’s roster by way of both transfers and freshmen.

  The three transfers are Kandiss Barber, a senior guard, who will be playing her final year of eligibility here after transferring from Rutgers University, Nandi Jorden, a 6-foot-5-inch junior forward from Hillsborough Community College and Malaysia McHenry, a junior forward from Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.

  Three freshmen have been added to the roster this season. They are Vanessa Austin, a 6-foot-3-inch forward/center from Salt Lake City, Utah, Nadia Johnson, a forward from West Campus High School in Sacramento and Jasmin Dixon, a guard who is a Bakersfield native and graduate of Independence High School.

  CSUB has plenty of size on its frontline this season, as there are five players at least 6-foot-1-inch tall on the roster.

  Joining McCall’s coaching staff this season will be Ty Outland, a CSUB alumna who played for McCall from 2010 to 2014.

  Outland is the all-time leading scorer in CSUB women’s basketball history..

  The Roadrunners’ nonconference home schedule includes matchups against CSU Fullerton on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the University of Nebraska Omaha on Monday, Dec. 18 and UC Irvine on Sunday, Dec. 31. 

  Nonconference road matchups are games at UTEP on Saturday, Nov. 11, Stanford University on Sunday, Nov. 19, Southern Methodist University on Sunday, Dec. 3 and Boise State University on Wednesday, Dec. 20.

  Conference play will begin for the Roadrunners on Saturday, Jan. 6 against Utah Valley University at 1 p.m. at the Icardo Center.

  The Roadrunners will host the annual Blue-Gold Game on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Icardo Center.

  CSUB will open the regular season at home against Stanislaus State on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.