By Peter Castillo

Sports Editor  

In the first-ever matchup between the two schools, the CSU Bakersfield men’s basketball team handed Lamar University its first loss of the season with an 85-73 win on Sunday, Nov. 19 in Beaumont, Texas.

Senior forward Shon Briggs led the way for the Roadrunners as he finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

With the win, CSUB improves to 2-2 on the season and snaps a two-game skid.

“Always good to get a win on the road and Lamar is a good team,” said CSUB Head Coach Rod Barnes to gorunners.com.  “It wasn’t a perfect game, but our team figured out a way to get the win on the road.  I thought we did a great job of getting to the line and making the free throws and I thought that was the difference in the game.”

Freshman guard Jarkel Joiner added 18 points and six rebounds. He also shot a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line.

Redshirt-junior guard and Texas native Damiyne Durham chipped in with 17 points off the bench. He knocked down five three-pointers on the afternoon.

CSUB outrebounded Lamar 35-26 and limited the Cardinals to only 25 percent shooting from deep.

“I am really pleased with how we played defense and how we rebounded the ball tonight,” said Barnes to gorunners.com.

The win followed a pair of road losses to Georgia Southern University on Monday, Nov. 13 and the University of Arizona on Thursday, Nov. 16. The Wildcats were ranked third in the nation in the AP Poll.

In the two losses, CSUB was outscored 168-112.

Despite losing to Arizona 91-59, CSUB outscored the Wildcats 36-30 in the paint.

Poor free throw shooting hampered the Roadrunners in the first two games of the road trip as they shot only 17-for-43 from the charity stripe.

However, CSUB recovered Sunday and shot 27-for-33 from the line.

Senior guard Brent Wrapp fouled out with just under eight minutes remaining. He was a nonfactor in the win as he only scored two points in 17 minutes.

The two teams combined to commit 59 fouls on Sunday.

Up next, the Roadrunners will travel to Anchorage, Alaska to play in the final installment of the GCI Great Alaska Shootout. CSUB will play three games over Thanksgiving weekend, beginning with a matchup against Alaska-Anchorage University on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 9 p.m.

The Roadrunners will play either the University of Idaho or Santa Clara University on Thursday, Nov. 23.