Call them Cinderella no more.
The Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team is now two wins away from playing in the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament.
On Monday, the Roadrunners knocked off Colorado State 81-63 in Fort Collins, Colo., to advance to the quarterfinals of the NIT. Dedrick Basile led CSUB with 17 points and four assists.
"I thought tonight was probably our best game overall," said CSUB head coach Rod Barnes. "It's something we've been looking forward to over the last month. We've struggled shooting the basketball from the perimeter.
"The last few games we've kind of found our stroke. Given our offense a chance to take some pressure off our defense and allow our offense to work for us. So, I'm just proud of our team."
CSUB entered the NIT as the No. 8 seed in its region. It started the tournament by upsetting No. 1 seed Cal 73-66.
"The reason why we're here is because they're great kids and that's what we've built our program on and now we're reaping the benefits," said Barnes.
With the two wins, the Roadrunners are now set to face the University of Texas, Arlington on Wednesday night. That game will be broadcast on ESPNU at 6 p.m.
On Monday, Arlington beat Akron 85-69.
