10/31/2008 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Reigning GSAC Player of the Year Mark Roussin and Omar Krayem combined for 48 points to lead the NAIA's No. 5-ranked California Baptist University to a 89-73 win over a scrappy Bethany in both team's season-opener Friday night.
The win moves the Lancers to 1-0 as the Bruins fall to 0-1.
Krayem finished with 25 points and eight assists. Roussin finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocked shots before fouling out.
“It feels really good to get back on the court,” said Krayem, who has played since the 2006-07 season. “I thought we did some things good, but we have a ton of things to work on, especially on the defensive end. We could have and should have played better. Hopefully, we can figure some things out in the next 24 hours and play better tomorrow night.”
On Halloween night, the Lancers seemed a little spooked at the outset, working through some first game jitters. They had eight turnovers in the first six minutes before settling in, and even then they couldn't pull away from the pesky Bruins until late, losing nearly all of a 21-point first half lead.
The Lancers led by just five (64-59) with 8:57 to play before Roussin took matters into his own hands scoring seven of the game's next nine points with the first three coming on a slick up-and-under move and the subsequent free throw. The Lancers never led by less than 10 the rest of the night as Roussin scored 19 of his points in the second half.
On the other hand, Krayem had 17 first half points in 17 first half minutes. His first of four first half 3-pointers gave the Lancers the lead for good at 8-7 just 3:46 into the game. The Lancers led 15-14 when Krayem drilled consecutive treys to key eight straight CBU points, giving the Lancers a 23-14 lead with 9:32 remaining.
Alex Frace capped off an 18-6 run that gave the Lancers a 45-24 advantage with 34 seconds left in the half. The Bruins, though, scored the final five points of the half, including a 3-pointer by Imhotet Amen-Ra at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 45-30 at the intermission.
Davey Hopkins finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Brandon Robinson chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds.
Dominique Dunham led Bethany with 25 points and five assists. George Golden added 15.
