CHICAGO -- In a hard fought battle, Chicago State's men's basketball team fell 75-62 to visiting WAC opponent, CSU Bakersfield last night in the Jones Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners got off to a hot start last night, going on a 17-5 run to take a 24-11 lead within the first 10 minutes of action. Despite the early deficit, Chicago State climbed back within six points thanks to Anthony Harris' (Gary, Ind./Griffith (Ind.)) free throws to make it 26-20.
With 6:30 left on the clock in the first half, Bakersfield drained a three-pointer to stall CSU's momentum and regained a commanding nine-point lead. From there,
Cameron Bowles (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood) drove through the paint off a
Rob Shaw (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) assist to make the layup and keep the game at bay.
Down seven the Cougars continued to fight, but CSUB held Chicago State to just 29 percent shooting during the first half to head into the halftime break with a 43-27 advantage. The Roadrunners shot 61 percent in the opening frame, including six baskets from beyond the arc.
The Cougars would be the ones to strike first in the second half, as
Travon Bell (Chicago, Ill./Mather), who finished with a season-high 19 points, grabbed a defensive rebound and immediately converted the fast break layup. CSU's next basket came from Bell once again, as he drained a jumper from beyond the arc off a clean pass from Shaw, to make it a 44-32 game.
With 15 minutes left to play, Bell led the way for an exciting 10-2 Cougar run, making two three-pointers and a layup to draw within eight points of the Roadrunners, at 50-42. Despite the streak, eight points was as close as CSU would pull to their opponent for the remainder of the night. The Roadrunners went on to create an 18-point deficit with under four minutes left to play and ultimately solidified the 75-62 defeat for the Cougars.
Last night marked the 12th time this season in which Bell has scored in double figures. The sophomore guard shot 5-of-8 on the night from range, with 15 of his 19 points coming from beyond the arc. Harris finished with 11 points on the night, including going 4-4 from the charity stripe. Shaw ended the night with nine assists.
The Cougars will return to the floor tomorrow afternoon to take on Grand Canyon University. Tip off is slated for a 2:05 p.m. (CST) start time in the Jones Convocation Center.
