The Runners face The Bulldogs in their annual Rally for the Valley game. They only see each other once a year so tension was high. The Runners won with 74-56 starting their season with a 3-1 standing. Corey Stephenson lead the Runners with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block. The Runners trail in their last five meetings with 2-5 against the Bulldogs Runners next home game is November 24, against the Northeastern Huskies. BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT: It's a in-state rivalry that has been going on for years. CSUB vs Fresno state in the rally for the valley. I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter. Both teams are hungry for the title of best in the valley. On Saturday they battled it out at the Icardo Center.Fans pilled into the stands for this central valley match up. The runners came into the game 2-1, while the bulldogs were 1-1 in the season.Rod Barnes Head Coach of the Runners said "Well it was a huge win for us, obviously two teams in the valley 90 miles apart. They've had a lot of success against us. I was just proud of our guys and the way they came out and executed and played it was a big win for us."Coming out of half time the runners lead with a score of 38 to 33. A new teammate for the runners Sophomore Guard CJ Hardy got the team riled up after his breakaway dunk."Just my style of play, my speed, athleticism, and IQ, Being able to find my guys in transition on the open court, its really hard to guard. As long as I can continue bringing that every night, I feel like were unstoppable." said Hardy.CJ tells me he is appreciative of all his teammates, he wants to share the ball and get them good looks. He wanted this win for his team, especially for his teammate Junior Guard Corey Stephenson who wasn't able to play in last years game."It feels good for me personally I didn't play last year because I was hurt during the game. It feels good to win in general but to beat them at home it was a good feeling." said Stephenson. The runners didn't let their fans down, this collision happens open a year. The final score was 74 to 56. Their next home game will be November 24. For 23 ABC I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter.Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube