Balanced Roadrunner men find defensive footing, complete sweep of UCSD

Though it won’t help in the conference standings, the Cal State Bakersfield men’s basketball team still made a point to improve from an uneven performance Friday night.

Justin Edler-Davis scored 19 points and the fourth of his five 3-pointers sparked a 16-0 second-half run that helped CSUB pull away for a 65-50 win over UC San Diego at the Icardo Center Saturday.

The win completed a weekend sweep for the Roadrunners, but because the Titans are ineligible for postseason play, the games didn’t count towards the Big West standings.

“Every game is a chance to get better … whether it counts in the standings, whether it’s a pickup game, anything,” Edler-Davis said. “We don’t take for granted just playing a basketball game. It was just a blessing to be able to get on the court and play again tonight.”

The Roadrunners held the Tritons scoreless for 5:32 during the decisive second-half run, and Edler-Davis’ triple, which came off a soaring Taze Moore block, was a huge spark in closing out UCSD, which had gotten within 28-26 early in the second half.

The defensive effort was a big step forward from Friday, when CSUB held on for a 76-71 win despite surrendering 46 points in the second half. UC San Diego didn’t reach 46 points for the game until there was 2:09 to play Saturday.

“Our objective was to play better defense the whole game,” said guard Czar Perry, who recorded a 12-point, 11-assist double-double. “I think we did a better job at that. We’ve just got to continue to do the same thing.”

“I think our team was just determined to win and then not look as bad as I thought we did last night on defense,” coach Rod Barnes added.

Saturday was another balanced effort for the Roadrunners, who’ve won 10 of their last 13 games.

Shaun Williams, who scored 24 in Friday’s win, added 11 Saturday. After missing Friday’s game with an illness, Ronne Readus pulled down 15 rebounds. Readus’ effort proved beneficial, as fellow center Shawn Stith missed Saturday’s game with an illness.

Without one dominant scorer, Barnes is pleased to see so many players elevate their game during the Roadrunners’ strong run through their first season in the Big West.

“We’re definitely better with the sum of all of our parts,” Barnes said. “It’s a huge compliment to them to keep fighting and be in this position that we’re in and the wins that we’ve gotten. Different guys have stepped up different nights. That’s the thing that’s so refreshing to me to realize that I am coaching a team. That doesn’t happen all the time now.”

With the win, CSUB, which is 14-7 overall, is now 6-1 in Saturday games since the start of the Big West season.

After splitting with two-time defending league champion UC Irvine on the road last weekend, the Roadrunners face another stiff test next weekend, when they travel for two games against UC Santa Barbara.

The Gauchos entered a Saturday night game against Hawaii on top of the Big West with a record of 7-2 and had won nine straight games overall.