ROADRUNNERS (2–13) at SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (9–6)
JANUARY 12, 2010 • 7:00 p.m. (CST)
REED GREEN COLISEUM • HATTIESBURG, MISS.
KERN NEWSTALK 1180 AM • NO TELEVISION FOR THIS GAME
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES
Southern Mississippi started the season on fire, winning 5 straight and 8 of its first 9 games…but the Golden Eagles have lost their last 3 games and 5 of 6 entering Tuesday’s meeting with CSUB…beat CSUB’s next opponent, Montana State, 66–62 on Nov. 21…Jr. F Gary Flowers leads the Golden Eagles in both scoring (14.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 ppg)…So. F Maurice Bolden is second in both categories at 12.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg…they are the only Golden Eagles averaging more than 10 points or 4.5 rebounds per game…Bolden is the team’s top 3–point threat at 41.9 pct.
SERIES HISTORY
- This will be the first meeting between the Golden Eagles and Roadrunners in men’s basketball.
- In fact, this will be the first head–to–head meeting be-tween CSUB and Southern Mississippi in any sport.
BUY YOUR ROADRUNNER BASKETBALL ONLINE
Roadrunner basketball advance tickets may be purchased online at www.TicketMaster.com. Either click the preceeding link or visit TicketMaster.com and search for "CSUB." Six exciting NCAA Division I basketball contests remaining on the home schedule, including games against former Roadrunner Head coach Pat Douglass and UC Irvine (Feb. 3) and a rematch with defending Big West Conference champion Cal State Northridge (Feb. 10).
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EXTENDED FAMILY: Though the schools haven’t met on the hardwood before, consider CSUB and Southern Mississippi cousins once removed. The schools are related in that they both compete in Conference USA in the sport of swimming. This season will be the third in which the Roadrunner men’s and women’s swim teams have competed in the C-USA Championships.
FLIRTING WITH 30: Santwon Latunde’s (Landover, Md./Cowley County CC) 29 points Saturday versus Longwood University not only were a career high for the senior forward, they represented a few other distinctions as well. His mark is the school single–game scoring record at the NCAA Division I level, eclipsing the mark of 26 set four times previously, last by Donavan Bragg (Inglewood/Serra HS) at Cal State Northridge on Nov. 30, 2009. They also were the most points scored by a Roadrunner since Dwuan Rice scored 33 points at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Feb. 12, 2005.
THE 20–20 CLUB: By adding 20 points to his 21–rebound effort against LMU on Jan. 3, Santwon Latunde joined an even more exclusive CSUB Basketball club. He became just the second Roadrunner ever to score 20 points and grab 20 rebounds in the same game. Kebu Stewart added 29 points to his 21–rebound effort against Cal State San Bernardino on Feb. 20, 1997.
LATUNDE ON THE REBOUND: Santwon Latunde, always a force on the glass for the ’Runners, took his board work to another level Jan. 3 against Loyola Marymount, tying the CSUB record by grabbing 21 rebounds. He tied the mark set previously by Toshiro Germany (vs. Fresno Pacific in 1998) and Kebu Stewart (vs. Cal State San Bernardino and Northern Kentucky in 1997, the latter in the NCAA Division II title game).
Latunde’s mark is the fifth–best total in Division I play this season. He leads all NCAA Division I Independent rebounders at 4.1 offensive rpg and is tied for second overall at 9.0 rpg. He has led CSUB in rebounding in nine of 15 games this season.
THE MILLENNIUM CLUB: By scoring in double figures for the 16th consecutive game in the Dec. 31 win over Cal Poly, Trent Blakley (Alta Loma HS) became just the ninth player in Roadrunner history to score 1,000 career points. His 21–point effort Saturday versus Longwood boosted his career total to 1,052 points, moving him past Wayne McDaniel to No. 8 on the CSUB career list.
Next up is Dwuan Rice with 1,056 points. Should he maintain his current pace, Blakley will finish as the No. 4 Roadrunner scorer of all time with nearly 1,300 career points.
HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES: Trent Blakley continues to be not only CSUB’s leading scorer, but one of the top scorers among NCAA Division I Independent players as well. Blakley enters Tuesday’s game versus Longwood ranked No. 4 among Division I Independent scorers by averaging 15.5 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 19 consecutive games.
TOP 10 TRENT: Trent Blakley is climbing his way up CSUB’s career records lists in more than just scoring. He currently ranks in the top 10 all–time in games started (No. 3, 66), 3–point field goals (No. 4, 124); rebounding (No.6, 478), field goals (No. 8, 392) and games played (No. 10, 98). By starting against Southern Mississippi, he will tie Dock Ellis for No. 2 on the career starts list. He needs 10 more starts to pass Dwuan Rice (75 from 2005–07) for the most in CSUB history.
20–20 VISION: Stephon Carter’s (Garces HS) consecutive 20–point games were the first consecutive 20–point efforts by a Roadrunner since Terrence Johns poured in 22 and 21 against Pacific and Loyola Marymount on Jan. 5–7, 2008. Both Trent Blakely and Santwon Latunde will try to match that at Southern Mississippi Tuesday.
A BETTER THAN 50–50 CHANCE: Saturday’s loss against Longwood University bucked a significant statistical trend for CSUB. Since February 2000, the ’Runners are now 36–4 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
WHY PLAY 40 MINUTES? The other big statistical trend that proved to be a canard Saturday was the superfluousness of playing all 40 minutes. Against Longwood, CSUB lost for just the second time as a Division I school when leading with five minutes remaining. Through three–plus seasons at the NCAA Division I level, 40 minutes seems to be about five minutes more than the ’Runners have needed to decide games. In 78 games played since making the jump, CSUB is now 16–2 when leading after the first 35 minutes. On the flip side, the ’Runners have just five wins (5–55) trailing with five minutes remaining.
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: Close games weren’t friendly to the ’Runners last season—and this season has started the same way. After falling by one point to Longwood, 82–81, the ’Runners have dropped nine of their last 10 games decided by four or fewer points.
A HALF NOTE: The ’Runners put together two halves to make one victory in the win over Cal Poly. They led at halftime, 29–22, marking the first time in 14 games they went into the locker room on top. By then tying the Mustangs in the second half, 41–41, the ’Runners either won or tied both halves of a game for the first time since defeating Sacramento State on Nov. 27, 2008—a span of 38 games—despite having nine victories over that run.
TWO HALVES MAKE A WHOLE: After winning the second half of Saturday’s game versus Longwood, the ’Runners will be looking to put an end to an unusual streak by winning the first half Tuesday at Southern Mississippi. Though they have five victories over this stretch, they have not won two consecutive halves since taking the second half versus UC Riverside on Jan. 17, 2009, and the first half at UC Irvine on Jan. 21, 2009.
TEST AGAINST THE BEST: Cincinnati was the fourth six 2009 NCAA Tournament participants the Roadrunners will meet this season. They’ve already faced UCLA, Cal State Northridge and Utah State. In addition to a rematch at home against Northridge (Feb. 10), the ’Runners also will battle Gonzaga University (Mar. 2) on the road.
ON AND OFF THE COURT: The move to NCAA Division I has increased CSUB’s competitiveness in the classroom as well as on the court. Since it began playing full Division I schedules, the Roadrunner men’s basketball team has posted a perfect graduation rate. Last season’s team posted a perfect APR score of 1,000 as well.
WHERE OTHERS HAVE GONE BEFORE: Making the leap from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I play is a big step. It’s also a step taken by several Roadrunner rivals over the past few seasons. Bakersfield is the sixth West Region school to make the jump since 1990. The others are: Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Sacramento State, UC Davis and UC Riverside.
In fact, DII and the California Collegiate Athletic Association have been jumping off points for many of the current DI programs in the West. All nine Big West Conference members are former DII schools and all but UC Irvine were formerly in the CCAA. Other former DII and CCAA schools from the West include Fresno State, Pepperdine, San Diego State and San Jose State.
38 YEARS OF CSUB BASKETBALL: The 2009–2010 season marks the 39th anniversary of Roadrunner men’s basketball at CSUB. Since the program’s inception in 1971–72, the Roadrunners have posted an impressive all–time record of 747–361 (.674).
WE MEET AGAIN: The ’Runners may be relative new kids on the block at the NCAA Division I level, but they possess a wealth of experience against the Division I opponents they will meet this season. CSUB entered the season with an aggregate 106–108 all–time record against this season’s opposition. Note that many of those results came when both CSUB and its opposition were competing at the Division II level.
’RUNNERS vs. DI COMPETITION: Although 2009–10 is just the third time the Roadrunners have taken on a full NCAA Division I schedule, Bakersfield already has a bit of history in NCAA Division I play. The ’Runners own an all–time mark of 35–100 in 135 games against 50 different Division I opponents. Note that this mark does not include games against current DI teams that were not DI when they met CSUB.
Courtesy: CSU Bakersfield Sports Information
