#9 Lancers Tame Toros

Saturday, November 12

Riverside, Calif.

3:00 PM

California Baptist University

2-0

Cal State Dominguez Hills

1-1

CSU Dominguez Hills

California Baptist University

Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez

11/12/2016 7:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Sammi Wellman, Director of Sports Information

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Since the Rick Croy era began, California Baptist University hasn't surrendered a loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills. The ninth-ranked Lancers continued that trend Saturday afternoon with a 93-79 victory over the Toros.

CBU improves to 2-0 on the young year, while CSUDH drops to 1-1 in the opening weekend.

For the second night in a row, CBU had four scorers in double figures, with two scoring more than 20 points. Michael Smith led with 25 points (8-for-19), with four assists and three steals.

"I've learned a lot from my freshman year from the seniors we've had over the years," said Smith. "I've had a long time to evolve and learn how to be a leader and now it's my time. I embrace it and have Kali and Casey to keep me level headed.

"Coach Croy keeps picking me up when I'm down, as well," added Smith on his back-to-back high scoring nights. "He's a very good mentor and leader to me. He encourages me to go to the rim hard and find other guys."

Kalidou Diouf followed with 22 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Jordan Heading (3-for-5) and Casey Norris (4-for-9) each chipped in eight points.

"I think we're sharing the ball well," said Croy. "We have some good guards and our post play is really strong. I think there are some guys who are still getting better, who Lancer fans still haven't seen the best from yet. The goal is to keep getting better."

The Lancers out-rebounded the Toros 38-to-35 with De'jon Davis leading the charge once again. The freshman was just on the cusp of a double-double, finishing with nine boards and nine points (3-for-6). Diouf followed with seven snags off the glass.

Despite CBU scoring the first points off a Smith layup, the Lancers couldn't quite establish a rhythm in the first half. Any time CBU tried to break away from the visitors, the Toros had a response to keep the game close.

"I think the opponent knew us pretty well," said Croy. "They came in ready with a good game plan. We had to make some adjustments. They competed well. It was good for our guys."

With about six and a half minutes left before halftime, CBU got its first multi-possession lead of the night. Diouf posted up under the basket before grabbing a defensive board to put the Lancers back on the attack. The junior found Smith open just outside the paint to give CBU a 31-24 lead and force a CSUDH timeout.

Davis extended the Lancers' lead into double-digit territory with four minutes to play in the first, scoring on a put-back and drawing a foul in the process. He hit his free throw to round the play up to three, 38-28.

Still, the Toros kept battling and chipped away at the margin to go into halftime trailing 42-38.

CSUDH came out looking to jump in front to open the second, scoring a three-pointer in the opening 20 seconds of the period.

Heading's put-back put some distance back for the Lancers and Diouf followed with a fade-away jumper off a Smith assist, 46-41. Smith kept the 8-0 spurt going by driving to the basket in back-to-back CBU possessions.

Two Jason Todd layups sandwiched a Davis slam dunk to put the Lancers in front by 16 points, 60-44. Norris built on that lead with a triple in the corner and Bul Kuol finished two free throws to give CBU its first 20-point lead of the night, 71-50.

CSUDH tried to claw back in it, but CBU wouldn't allow the visitors to get any closer than 13 point as Marquise Mosley finished three chances at the charity stripe to seal the 93-79 victory.

The Lancers get a week to recover and work out some kinks before hosting Cal Poly Pomona next Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

"I think these wins give us some confidence heading into CPP," said Smith. "We still have some things to work on, but at the end of the day, we got two wins."

"We'll enjoy this tonight and then Monday look at the film and make sure we keep getting better," added Croy. "These West Region games are all important and our guys are learning how to compete from them."

CBU is currently in its final season in the Van Dyne Gym before the Events Center opens next spring. The Lancers boast a 47-2 home record under Coach Croy.

"Every single time we come out on the court, there's a huge amount of energy," said Smith. "I love the energy we have in Van Dyne."