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OMAHA, Neb. – The UNO men's basketball team faced Cal State Bakersfield in the first of two meetings this season, falling 75-65 to the visiting Roadrunners at Sapp Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Mavericks are now 10-16 on the year, while CSUB improved to 13-13.

Senior guard Mitch Albers paced Nebraska Omaha with 24 points and a perfect 8-for-8 showing at the free throw line, adding two rebounds and three assists. Albers and fellow senior John Ring were honored before the game with special Senior Day festivities, as they play their final two home games at Sapp Fieldhouse this week.

Albers now has 1,750 points over his four-year Maverick career, and he sits just 66 away from tying UNO's career scoring leader Dean Thompson (1,816).

Sophomore center John Karhoff added 18 points and a season-high-tying eight rebounds, along with one assist and a steal. Freshman guard CJ Carter chipped in nine points, seven boards, two assists and a pair of steals, and sophomore guard Caleb Steffensmeier added eight points with two 3-pointers.

Cal State Bakersfield was led by Zach Lamb, who finished with 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field. Stephon Carter also had 21 points with a 7-for-13 effort and a pair of treys, and Mo Hughley had 10 points and nine rebounds for the afternoon. Additionally, Rashad Savage pulled down nine boards for the game.

As a team, the Roadrunners shot 45 percent (27-of-60) to UNO's 36 percent (20-of-55). Though they committed 17 turnovers for the day, they also forced 18 miscues from the Mavs, and CSUB totaled 25 points off turnovers.

Nebraska Omaha opened the game with a 7-3 lead with the help of five consecutive points from Steffensmeier. CSUB then went ahead at 8-7 by the first media timeout on five points by Carter. The score tied at 10-10 when Albers drove in for a layup and hit the ensuing free throw before the Roadrunners made it 13-10.

Albers knotted the score again at 15-15, and CJ Carter's putback made it 18-18. Albers' next jumper started a 12-4 run and regained the Maverick lead, which UNO did not relinquish for the remainder of the first half. Carter's 3-pointer stretched it to 25-20, and five Karhoff free throws pushed the tally to 30-22. Bakersfield managed two more shots in the half – a jumper from Lamb and a tip-in by Grayson – but UNO looked competitive as it took a 32-26 lead into the locker room at the half.

Cal State Bakersfield surged back in the second half behind 22 points from Lamb, who shot 9-for-12 in the second stanza. UNO maintained its advantage early, going up 37-30 when Steffensmeier drained a three, but an Adam Young jumper and three more points from Lamb narrowed it to 39-35. It began a spurt in which Lamb accounted for 15 straight points over four minutes, reclaiming the lead for the Roadrunners at 43-44 by the 12:44 mark.

The Mavs tied the score at 47-47 on an Albers basket, but Bakersfield climbed out to a five-point margin with a three from Donald Johnson and a Stephon Carter layup. The game stalled again at 54-54 with a layup from Karhoff, and a tip-in by Welhouse made it 56-56. From there, Carter and Issiah Grayson combined for seven points to make it 63-56 with two minutes to go.

Karhoff brought the Mavs within four with his first career 3-pointer, but Cal State Bakersfield staved off a UNO rally in the closing minutes. As UNO trailed 66-59 with 1:06 remaining, Carter swiped a key steal, and Hughley took off for a layup on the fastbreak to take it out to a nine-point margin. In the last 40 seconds, Albers put up six points, including back-to-back buckets, but it was not enough as the Roadrunners took the 75-65 win.

UNO returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 15, hosting Nebraska-Kearney in the Mavericks' final home appearance of the 2011-12 season. The game also marks Alumni Night and is Nebraska Omaha's last men's basketball game at Sapp Fieldhouse before the team moves to the new Ralston Sports and Event Center in 2012-13. Special presentations will be made during the UNK game, and all men's basketball alumni will be invited to the floor at halftime.