Cal State Bakersfield tops Texas-Rio Grande Valley 70-57

Feb 20, 2016, 11:28 pm

EDINBURG, Texas -- Kevin Mays scored 18 points and corralled 13 rebounds as Cal State Bakersfield defeated Texas-Rio Grande Valley 70-57 on Saturday night, clinching the second-seed into next month's Western Athletic Conference tournament.

Bakersfield (19-8, 9-3), which lost at conference-leading New Mexico State on Thursday, clinched the No. 2 seed when the Aggies beat Seattle on Saturday. Bakersfield plays at Grand Canyon (10-2) on Feb. 27 and Seattle (6-6) March 5.

Rio Grande Valley grabbed a 35-31 lead, starting the second half with two J.J. Thompson 3-pointers and a Dakota Slaughter layup. But Jaylin Airington scored back-to-back buckets that started a 14-2 run over the next four minutes to grab control.

Airington scored 12 points and had four of the Roadrunners' nine steals on 13 Rio Grande Valley turnovers.

Shaquille Hines led the Vaqueros with 13 points; Thompson added 12 and Slaughter 11. The Vaqueros and Missouri-Kansas City are contesting the tournament's fifth seed.