DOUBLE DOSE
1/6/2010 7:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Davey Hopkins had a December he'd like to forget.
His January?
So far so…dominant.
The junior, who averaged just 7.4 points in five games the last month of 2009, had his first double-double since opening night with 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to lead unranked California Baptist University to a thorough 81-66 upset of the NAIA's No. 22-ranked Westmont Tuesday night.
The win is the Lancers' second straight upset and it snaps a three-game losing skid to the Warriors as they improve to 10-4 overall, 3-1 GSAC. Coupled with 17 points and eight rebounds in the Lancers' win over No. 7 Fresno Pacific Saturday night, Hopkins is averaging 18 points and nine rebounds in 2010.
“Coach has pulled me aside lately about being more aggressive offensively, and the ball has started falling for me,” said Hopkins, who is 11-for-16 from the field and 12-for-16 from the line the past two nights. “These two wins are real big. It's all about momentum, and we had none coming into the Fresno game, but now we have it.”
The Warriors, who earlier this season knocked off preseason No. 1-ranked Robert Morris (Ill.) by 16 points, fall to 10-3, 2-2.
Hopkins wasn't the only star on this night either as Larry Dew led all players with 21 points, getting 12 in the first half as the Lancers opened a 37-27 halftime advantage on the strength of 51.7 percent shooting. They were even better in the second half, shooting 63.6 percent. Dew, alone, finished 9-for-14 and also had four assists and two steals.
Justus Von Wright added 17 points (12 in the first half), going 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, including four in a four-minute span midway through the first half. Luke Evans finished with 12 points (6-for-7) and five rebounds. As a group, the Lancer starting five shot an eye-opening 65 percent (26-for-40).
“I don't know how long this is going to last,” said CBU Head Coach Tim Collins. “We are improving and still have a lot of improving to do. We're a young team, and if we can keep improving we can be a pretty good team. I'm hoping we don't abandon what is working for us. The guys are working hard and want to get better and are starting to make big strides.”
CBU made 10 of its first 12 shots and never trailed, building up a 15-point (29-14) lead on Von Wright's fourth and final first half trey with 8:51 to play.
Then, in the second half, Westmont began to snatch momentum. Keyed by three Andrew Schmalbach bombs, the Warriors whittled the deficit down to seven (47-40) with 14:13 to play. But that was as close as they got.
After Schmalbach's final 3-pointer, Von Wright hit a pair of free throws and his final triple to push the margin back to 11. Dan Rasp hit a jumper to make it 59-50 when Robert Rose kick-started a 12-3 flurry that gave the Lancers their largest lead, 71-53, with 4:39 to play. Hopkins had eight of the points in the run, including a 3-point play off nice feed from Dew and then a huge 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring with 5:29 to go that put the final nail in the coffin.
“Larry and Davey made some key plays when they started to get back in the game,” said Collins. “Davey had two big plays when he converted that 3-point play and then hit that huge 3-pointer. Larry is a tough matchup for them, because he is so, so quick.”
Unlike Saturday night when Fresno Pacific chipped a 13-point deficit in the final three minutes down to one with 38 seconds left, Westmont made little noise late as the Lancers went 6-for-8 from the line in the final 1:48 to put this one away. The Lancers, who rank dead last in the GSAC in free throw shooting, were a solid 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) in the second half.
The Warriors, who average a hefty 79.2 points per contest, were held 13 points below their average and were held under 70 for just the third time in 13 games. Conversely, the 81 points allowed is the second-highest total they have surrendered.
Rasp finished with 16 points to lead Westmont. Schmalbach finished with 13 points. The Warriors' leading scorers were held to a combined four points in the first half.
“A lot of the credit goes to our defensive effort,” said Collins. “They paid great attention and stuck to our game plan the entire night. I am proud of them for doing that. We showed great patience tonight, and defended their tough offense well.”
His January?
So far so…dominant.
The junior, who averaged just 7.4 points in five games the last month of 2009, had his first double-double since opening night with 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to lead unranked California Baptist University to a thorough 81-66 upset of the NAIA's No. 22-ranked Westmont Tuesday night.
The win is the Lancers' second straight upset and it snaps a three-game losing skid to the Warriors as they improve to 10-4 overall, 3-1 GSAC. Coupled with 17 points and eight rebounds in the Lancers' win over No. 7 Fresno Pacific Saturday night, Hopkins is averaging 18 points and nine rebounds in 2010.
“Coach has pulled me aside lately about being more aggressive offensively, and the ball has started falling for me,” said Hopkins, who is 11-for-16 from the field and 12-for-16 from the line the past two nights. “These two wins are real big. It's all about momentum, and we had none coming into the Fresno game, but now we have it.”
The Warriors, who earlier this season knocked off preseason No. 1-ranked Robert Morris (Ill.) by 16 points, fall to 10-3, 2-2.
Hopkins wasn't the only star on this night either as Larry Dew led all players with 21 points, getting 12 in the first half as the Lancers opened a 37-27 halftime advantage on the strength of 51.7 percent shooting. They were even better in the second half, shooting 63.6 percent. Dew, alone, finished 9-for-14 and also had four assists and two steals.
Justus Von Wright added 17 points (12 in the first half), going 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, including four in a four-minute span midway through the first half. Luke Evans finished with 12 points (6-for-7) and five rebounds. As a group, the Lancer starting five shot an eye-opening 65 percent (26-for-40).
“I don't know how long this is going to last,” said CBU Head Coach Tim Collins. “We are improving and still have a lot of improving to do. We're a young team, and if we can keep improving we can be a pretty good team. I'm hoping we don't abandon what is working for us. The guys are working hard and want to get better and are starting to make big strides.”
CBU made 10 of its first 12 shots and never trailed, building up a 15-point (29-14) lead on Von Wright's fourth and final first half trey with 8:51 to play.
Then, in the second half, Westmont began to snatch momentum. Keyed by three Andrew Schmalbach bombs, the Warriors whittled the deficit down to seven (47-40) with 14:13 to play. But that was as close as they got.
After Schmalbach's final 3-pointer, Von Wright hit a pair of free throws and his final triple to push the margin back to 11. Dan Rasp hit a jumper to make it 59-50 when Robert Rose kick-started a 12-3 flurry that gave the Lancers their largest lead, 71-53, with 4:39 to play. Hopkins had eight of the points in the run, including a 3-point play off nice feed from Dew and then a huge 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring with 5:29 to go that put the final nail in the coffin.
“Larry and Davey made some key plays when they started to get back in the game,” said Collins. “Davey had two big plays when he converted that 3-point play and then hit that huge 3-pointer. Larry is a tough matchup for them, because he is so, so quick.”
Unlike Saturday night when Fresno Pacific chipped a 13-point deficit in the final three minutes down to one with 38 seconds left, Westmont made little noise late as the Lancers went 6-for-8 from the line in the final 1:48 to put this one away. The Lancers, who rank dead last in the GSAC in free throw shooting, were a solid 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) in the second half.
The Warriors, who average a hefty 79.2 points per contest, were held 13 points below their average and were held under 70 for just the third time in 13 games. Conversely, the 81 points allowed is the second-highest total they have surrendered.
Rasp finished with 16 points to lead Westmont. Schmalbach finished with 13 points. The Warriors' leading scorers were held to a combined four points in the first half.
“A lot of the credit goes to our defensive effort,” said Collins. “They paid great attention and stuck to our game plan the entire night. I am proud of them for doing that. We showed great patience tonight, and defended their tough offense well.”
Men's Basketball Highlights vs GCU
Saturday, February 08
