Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners: 2015-16 WAC Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- Dedrick Basile's clutch shot sent Cal State Bakersfield to its first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Basile hit a 3-pointer with two-tenths of a second remaining, lifting Cal State Bakersfield to a 57-54 victory over No. 1 seed New Mexico State in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament title game.

"It was our night, our turn, our time," coach Rod Barnes said. "It's been a fantastic year."

Basile led the second-seeded Roadrunners (24-8) with 18 points, and Damiyne Durham added 15. Cal State Bakersfield had never beaten New Mexico State, losing their first 11 meetings, including twice during the regular season.

Pascal Siakam and Braxton Huggins each had 11 points for the Aggies (23-10), and Ian Baker added 10.

The Aggies, who never led, trailed by as many as 12 points but came back in the second half. They tied it at 54 when Tanveer Bhullar made one of two free throws with 14 seconds left, but that set the stage for Basile's buzzer-beating long shot won the game for the Roadrunners.

"The great thing about this team, they never panicked," Barnes said. "As I was talking to them, they never seemed to be in a situation where they were nervous or afraid that we were going to lose."

Teammates piled on Basile near mid-court, believing the game was over, but officials determined that two-tenths of a second were still left.

"That's something I always dreamed about," Basile said, "and it just happened."

A long inbounds pass, however, was deflected by Bakersfield, ending the game and giving the Roadrunners a second celebration.

The Aggies, who won the WAC regular-season title, lost in the tournament title game after four consecutive wins.

"When they needed big shots, they got them every time, usually from one of their upper classmen," New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies said. "They just produced when they needed to. It was kind of heart-wrenching to say the least."

Bakersfield led for just about the entire first half, combining exceptional shooting with a turnover-prone offense by New Mexico State to take a 32-22 lead.

The game was tied at 10 before the Roadrunners went on a 20-9 run over the next 10 minutes. The Aggies committed eight turnovers in the opening half and compounded their troubles by shooting just 36 percent.

TIP-INS

Bakersfield: The Roadrunners had never played in a WAC tournament final until Saturday's game. They struggled with their shooting in the second half, making just 10 of 28 shots.

New Mexico State: Pascal Siakam, the conference player of the year, never got going. He scored two points in the game and finished with 11. Braxton Huggins also had 11, while Bhullar came off the bench to score a team-high 13.

UP NEXT

Cal State Bakersfield: makes its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

New Mexico State: hopes for an invitation to the NIT.

Lord Voldemort, send help!

It's times like these where I would love to be in Lord Voldemort's shoes. You know who Lord Voldemort is, right? The guy who does that "Avara Kadavra" spell? Yes, you know who.

Boy, I would love to use that spell on my men's basketball team. It's one thing to rip up an opponent in a game that I couldn't see because the calendar stiffed me. It's another thing to make that win a flat-out lie against Cal State Bakersfield, a team that is not even through its first provisional year of four.

Way to deceive me, you bastards. Not ever Dr. F. King Alexander, not even a fan telling me "it was a good game," not even the sympathetic bus driver taking me home, giving out a "Go Beach" cheer as I left, could console me from the inescapable fact: our men's basketball team, for all the losses it has accumulated, has hit ROCK BOTTOM.

At least that's what I told Doug Krikorian of the Long BEach PRess-Telegram after the game, or rather asked. "Hey Doug, is it fair to say...that we've hit rock-bottom tonight?"
He just shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, "The way we've played, I don't think we've seen the worst of this team just yet." And I have a meeting with my old friend Elie at 10:00 a.m. at the Academic Advising Center. And I will be in a somber mood, pending the effect of my pills.

Dispute it all you want, people who read my blog, but the reality is this: if our economy is in a recession (admit, you GOP bastards on the hill; you admitted preventing a two-thirds override of a veto of an important bill at least once today!), our men's hoops team is going through a DEPRESSION.

The next victory we have (if we even have the guts to WIN a game; give up your scholarships if that's gonna be your mentality, to NOT win a game), I may not be able to see it. That's gonna be on the road, this Saturday against Northridge. God knows if our guys are even going to be motivated to even do anything right the rest of the year.

That said, the warlock formerly know as Tom Marvolo Riddle, I could use a little help here...

"As you wish."