Roadrunners Shock Northridge!
Cal State Bakersfield has done it again in a home opener. A year ago it was Fresno State falling to CSUB 65-64, this time it was Cal State Northridge, the preseason favorite to win the Big West Conference, falling 67-65 at Rabobank Arena. CSUB's Donovan Bragg provided the late heroics with a three-point play with 10.2 seconds remaining to put the Runners up for good. Northridge had a late chance to tie but as tends to happen with the D-I Runners, luck was on their side in home openers as Tremaine Townsend's layup struck the bottom of the rim providing CSUB with the rebound and the win.
"Oh my God it's happened again," was the only thing I could come up with to describe the win on tonight's broadcast. It was a big one for CSUB who was blown-out by the defending Big West co-champions last season by 16 points. Tonight it was CSUB getting the last laugh and securing the signature victory. I've seen this team play three games now, all three providing an amazing amount of improvement from the previous effort. Tonight was the same story, with better results.
With 22 seconds remaining and down by a point, CSUB got a steal and called timeout. I looked across the arena from our broadcast location and saw a fan stand up, mutter something to the people he was with and pointed at the scoreboard...65-64 was up on the big board at center court, the same score the Runners beat Fresno State by a year ago. Call it a sign but I knew something magical was about to happen...and it did. Donovan Bragg scored the final three of his 17 and CSUB put another feather in their Div. 1 cap.
The win over Northridge not only marks another step in the transition, it marks an indication that the Runners can compete at and above the level of the Big West conference. As CSUB tries to enter that conference, wins like this increase their chances and put the ball in the Conference's big wigs court to make that decision, and make it quickly. Two seasons in a row the Runners have defeated the defending champions, last season it was Long Beach State twice, this year it was the Mattadors.
There will be more opportunities this season with games against Fullerton, Pacific, UC Davis and UC Irvine. The win Friday makes CSUB 10-1 all-time at Rabobank Arena in home openers, the last time they lost was to Point Loma Nazarene in 2000. That night a young up and coming broadcaster named Corey Costelloe called the action for the Crusaders on campus station KPLR AM 620...glad to be on the other side now, witnessing a historic move to the highest level of college basketball, and being a part of the magic that is home-openers for CSUB. Go Runners indeed!
"Oh my God it's happened again," was the only thing I could come up with to describe the win on tonight's broadcast. It was a big one for CSUB who was blown-out by the defending Big West co-champions last season by 16 points. Tonight it was CSUB getting the last laugh and securing the signature victory. I've seen this team play three games now, all three providing an amazing amount of improvement from the previous effort. Tonight was the same story, with better results.
With 22 seconds remaining and down by a point, CSUB got a steal and called timeout. I looked across the arena from our broadcast location and saw a fan stand up, mutter something to the people he was with and pointed at the scoreboard...65-64 was up on the big board at center court, the same score the Runners beat Fresno State by a year ago. Call it a sign but I knew something magical was about to happen...and it did. Donovan Bragg scored the final three of his 17 and CSUB put another feather in their Div. 1 cap.
The win over Northridge not only marks another step in the transition, it marks an indication that the Runners can compete at and above the level of the Big West conference. As CSUB tries to enter that conference, wins like this increase their chances and put the ball in the Conference's big wigs court to make that decision, and make it quickly. Two seasons in a row the Runners have defeated the defending champions, last season it was Long Beach State twice, this year it was the Mattadors.
There will be more opportunities this season with games against Fullerton, Pacific, UC Davis and UC Irvine. The win Friday makes CSUB 10-1 all-time at Rabobank Arena in home openers, the last time they lost was to Point Loma Nazarene in 2000. That night a young up and coming broadcaster named Corey Costelloe called the action for the Crusaders on campus station KPLR AM 620...glad to be on the other side now, witnessing a historic move to the highest level of college basketball, and being a part of the magic that is home-openers for CSUB. Go Runners indeed!
posted by Corey Costelloe at
12:27 AM
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