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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Omaha men's basketball team had it within three in the final minute but was unable to pull off a comeback at CSU Bakersfield, falling 84-79 at the Icardo Center on Saturday night. The Mavericks are now 5-16 (2-6 Summit League) on the season, while the Roadrunners improve to 7-13.

All five Omaha starters finished with double-figure scoring efforts, led by 14 points apiece from juniors Justin Simmons and John Karhoff. Simmons had three assists and two steals for the night, while Karhoff pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds with three helpersand a steal. Sophomore guard CJ Carter added 13, and junior guard Alex Phillips added 11. Senior forward Alex Welhouse rounded out the effort with 10 points.

Senior guard Tyler Egli also had a season-high eight points off the bench with a pair of threes in the second half.
Bakersfield was led paced by Javante Maynor, who poured in 17 points with four 3-pointers. Tyrone White and Brandon Barnes each scored 16 points, with White also hitting four treys and Barnes grabbing a game-best nine boards.

As a team, Omaha shot 51 percent (30-of-59) for the game, improving from a 39 percent effort in the first half to a 61 percent showing in the second stanza. Bakersfield finished at a 54 percent (28-of-52) clip and made 11 threes for the evening.

CSU Bakersfield opened to a 21-11 lead, and a pair of Maynor threes stretched it to 27-13. Maynor hit three treys to pace the Roadrunners with 11 first-half points, while Barnes had nine points and seven boards early. By the half, Omaha trailed the Runners, 39-24.

In the second half, hot shooting helped UNO erase the 15-point deficit. After Maynor's fourth 3-pointer of the night spotted CSUB a 45-31 advantage, a Karhoff jumper and a breakaway dunk by Welhouse made it a 10-point game. Later, the Mavericks cut it to six on a trey by Egli, and Carter used a three-minute span to knock in 10 points, bringing the Mavericks within six again at 62-56.

With under three minutes to play, White and Simmons traded a pair of 3-pointers each to keep it within five. Facing less than a minute on the clock, Welhouse knocked down an open three from up top to make it 78-75. CSUB's Maynor and Matthew Ratto both then hit pairs of foul shots, but Karhoff had a layup and a putback each time to keep it at 82-79 with 6.7 seconds remaining. Ratto took a foul from Carter and went to the line a final time, giving Bakersfield the 84-79 win.

Omaha returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 24, resuming Summit League play at South Dakota. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.