Juliet Parilla
Reporter
The CSU Bakersfield men’s basketball team made sure that they would not be counted out of the Western Athletic Conference, after its 71-58 win against Grand Canyon University on Feb. 18 at the Icardo Center.
After two devastating conference losses, the team used these losses as fuel to ensure a strong victory for their next game.
The Roadrunners started off strong with a 20-point lead, leaving only three minutes left in the first half. The team held a strong defense, never allowing GCU to take the lead.
“We got off to a good start. I think our defense at the beginning was really good. We played hard,” said redshirt-senior guard Brent Wrapp.
In the second half, the Roadrunners quickly noticed how much more aggressively GCU was playing. That was when redshirt-freshman guard, Justin Davis, stole the ball from mid-court and went in for a slam dunk, diminishing any confidence the Antelopes had.
Justin Davis earned a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
“The way we played tonight, if we keep playing that way, we can play really well going into March. It’s great for our confidence,” said Davis.
Damiyne Durham, redshirt-junior guard, led the team with 17 points and add 6 rebounds. From the free throw line, he shot a perfect 5-for-5.
He kept an optimistic mindset heading into the Western Athletic Conference. “We are dangerous. We are looking to come out and surprise all teams that we play. I feel good going into it,” said Durham.
Head Coach Rod Barnes was proud of the team’s victory, “I thought our team played very well tonight. We rebounded the ball well and played hard” said Barnes.
“It was a real physical game and I thought the guys handled themselves very well.”
Barnes believes there is still room for improvement going into the conference tournament, “Your bench is going to have to be a factor. We got to continue to move some other guys forward. Hopefully we can get there and everybody can be ready to play.”
Brent Wrapp achieved an incredible milestone, becoming the second Roadrunner in history to have 500 assists.
“That’s credit to my teammates, the coaching staff for believing in me, and giving me the opportunity to make plays out there. Any milestone like that is cool,” said Wrapp.
The Roadrunners will continue their home stand with two more games, before they play their final game on the road.
CSUB will play Utah Valley University (19-8, 8-3 WAC), on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. Following that, they take on Seattle University (19-9, 8-3 WAC), on Saturday, Feb 24, at 6 p.m. at the Icardo Center.
