Trouble in Bakersfield

3 min read

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Feb 11, 2013, 3:00 AM MST |

Last Updated Feb 10, 11:08 AM MST

Consistency is the name of the game, but right now UVU does not have it. After sending the Bobcats of Peru State away with their tails between their legs, Utah Valley traveled to face future Western Athletic Conference rivals, CSU Bakersfield. Both teams accepted the invitation to the WAC in October and will face each other more often in seasons to come. The game on Feb. 2 was a preview of what to expect from these two teams and CSU Bakersfield got the upper hand in a 75-62 victory over the Wolverines.

UVU started off strong, leading by six points in the first two minutes of the game. The Roadrunners ran away with this game early in the first half after shooting 65% from the field to take a 36-25 lead into the half.

“Bakersfield played with a lot of tenacity and got very good efforts from a number of players,” said head Coach Dick Hunsaker. “We’ve just got to do a little bit better job as a unit and play a little bit smarter.”

UVU’s big three, Ben Aird, Nick Thompson and Holton Hunsaker scored 15, 14 and 12 points, respectively, but that wasn’t enough to overtake the lead from the Roadrunners. Hunsaker added six assists to the night while Thompson had three steals. It was Aird with the career night as he scored his career 1000th point for UVU. Aird is only the fifth player to eclipse 1000 points in UVU history.

It was all CSU Bakersfield though as they outscored the Wolverines in both the first and second half. The Roadrunners were led by senior Stephon Carter who dropped 23 points on the Wolverines, shooting 69 percent from field goal range. Brandon Barnes added almost a double-double to the Roadrunners’ victory with 10 points and eight boards. The Wolverines were no match for the Roadrunners that night as CSU-Bakersfield shot 52 percent from field goal range and 50 percent from beyond the arc.

“This was a grind of a game and we’ve got to grow from it as we prepare for our final stretch of conference play,” Hunsaker said.

There are only seven games left for the Wolverines this season, including a rematch against CSU Bakersfield at the end of the season. The Wolverines are only boasting a 1-3 conference record and are still trying to find some sort of consistency to ride out the rest of the season in hopes for a postseason berth.

The Wolverines will now take their talents to New Jersey on Feb. 16 to face conference rivals NJIT after they host Northern New Mexico State on Feb. 11 in the UCCU Center.

Alex Rivera is the Sports Editor for the UVU Review. You can contact him at arivera.2011@hotmail.com or through his Twitter account @HashtagginAlex