Cal State Bakersfield limps into meeting with Hawaii

This season, it has been difficult to tell the Cal State Bakersfield basketball team without a medical chart.

“It’s been tough when you’ve had so many guys who have been hurt,” said coach Rod Barnes, whose Roadrunners play Hawaii tonight in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. “We’ve had guys who have been in and out of the lineup. It’s just been difficult for us.”

Until reserve Dalph Panopio returned to the lineup on Thursday, the Roadrunners were without their top three point guards for a two-week stretch. Ivan Reynolds, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, was forced to become the facilitator.

“That’s part of our struggle,” said Barnes, whose Roadrunners are 6-14 overall and 2-7 in the Big West. “Ivan Reynolds is doing the best he can, but he’s never played point guard for us.”

The biggest loss was starting point guard Kaleb Higgins, who leads the Roadrunners in scoring (13.1 points per game) and assists (4.0). During the Roadrunners’ third Big West game on Jan. 5, Higgins suffered a season-ending ACL injury. The Roadrunners averaged 65.0 points with Higgins in the lineup, and 52.3 points since he was injured.

“He’s had surgery already,” Barnes said. “He’s probably going to be out three to four months. He’s really good. There are a lot of good point guards in our league, and he’s considered one of them.”

Naseem Gaskin, who was projected as Higgins’ primary backup, has missed nine games this season because of a nerve issue in his foot. Gaskin is in his fourth college program after playing at Utah, Montana and City College of San Francisco. “He’s a guy we recruited whom we thought would be one of our best players,” Barnes said. “But he has pretty much been hurt the whole year.”

Panopio, who was born in Rome, missed CSUB’s first eight Big West games after undergoing thumb surgery.

Barnes said two Lithuania-reared posts — 6-10 Ugnius Jarusevicius (ankle injury) and 6-9 Modestas Kancleris (fractured wrist) — are hopeful of returning for the Big West Tournament in March. Travis Henson, a 6-6 wing, is dealing with tendinitis in his knee.

Barnes said he has adjusted his tactics, preferring a slower-paced offense. “Limit the possessions,” Barnes said, “and try to give ourselves a chance to win.”

Barnes also has encouraged making gains each night. “By that, I mean, get wins in a game,” Barnes said, “like, say, we play good defense, or we rebound the ball well, or we execute well. We try to keep their minds focused on playing well right now.”

After Thursday’s third one-sided loss in a row — average margin was 23.3 points — the Roadrunners departed Friday morning for what Barnes termed a challenging game against UH.

“The schedule is what it is,” Barnes said. “We’re coming there, and we’ll have to be there to play a game. We have to try to figure it out, try to get better. It’s not the easiest place to play because Hawaii has been a really good team.”

The ’Bows are seeking to rebound from Thursday’s 65-64 loss in which UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell banked in the winning shot with 1.9 seconds to play. The ’Bows, who trailed by as many as 13, made their first 11 free throws, but did not have any attempts from the line in the second half.