Down to the Wire

Saturday, December 6

Riverside

7:00 PM

California Baptist University

6-1, 1-0PacWest

Dixie State

3-3, 1-1PacWest

Dixie State

California Baptist University

Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez

12/6/2014 9:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Sammi Sheppard, Director of Sports Information

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — If the preseason PacWest poll was any indicator, No. 17-ranked California Baptist University's conference opener was going to come down to the wire. The Lancers, who were picked to take the conference title for the second year, drew the team predicted to be their runner-up, Dixie State.

"We have great respect for Dixie and the way they compete," said head coach Rick Croy. "They're hard to play against. They have a balanced attack and they never stop competing. We were expecting a tough game tonight."

In the tightly contested battle, CBU came away with the win, defeating Dixie State 88-81. The result moves CBU to 7-1 overall and 1-0 in conference, while the Red Storm drop to 3-3 on the season, 1-1 in the PacWest.

"More than anything, tonight gives our guys an idea of how tough these games are going to be," said Croy. "They're all worth one and they're always going to be tough. Everyone knows you. The second you're not ready, somebody's going get you. I think our guys felt that tonight."

As a team, the Lancers shot 50-percent from the floor and 42.3-percent from beyond the arc. As the No. 2 team in NCAA Division II for defending three-point shots, CBU held the Red Storm to just three baskets from beyond the arc.

"Our guys show tremendous commitment to pressure other teams," said Croy. "It's a big part of the reason we're having the success we are."

Michael Smith led five Lancers in double figures, finishing with 17 points (6-for-11). Ryan Berg was just one point behind at 16 points off 5-for-11 shooting to extend his streak of scoring in double-digits to 16-straight games. Gelaun Wheelwright ended the night with 15 points (4-for-9), while Eividas Petrulis grabbed 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from both inside and outside the perimeter. Taj Spencer rounded out the quintet with 10 points (4-for-6).

"We have a lot of guys who are getting better and we're starting to figure each other out too," said Croy. "We have a lot of guys who haven't played together but they're getting their reps and getting better. We're moving the ball better and driving the ball better. It's good to see. We can keep improving there, but we've made a move."

Defensively, Eric Nelson blocked a game-high four shots and led CBU with five rebounds.

Dixie State started strong with the first six points of the night, but CBU battled back into the game and took over the lead after trailing 17-14. Trevone Williams (nine points) finished two chances at the line to start a 7-0 run to go up 21-17.

Neither team could quite shake the other as they went into the locker rooms separated by just one point at 38-37.

Coming out of the break, DSU evened the score at 38-38 and took a brief lead, but CBU started to make its move after finding itself trailing 52-50. Petrulis responded with a deep three to put his team in front 53-52 and Williams put an exclamation point on the 14-2 run with a three of his own.

The Lancers kept the Red Storm an arm's distance heading down the stretch with a 71-62 lead. Dixie State turned on the full-court press to cut CBU's lead back into single-digits, proving it wasn't going to be a cake walk for the home team.

Despite the pressure, CBU remained composed as the Red Storm attempted to foul back into the game., With a 10-point cushion and less than a minute on the clock, Smith sent a free throw straight through the hoop to extend the margin to 86-75. Berg also finished his chances at the line to hand CBU the 88-81 win, despite the Red Storm sinking a buzzer-beater three to end the game.

The Lancers take a brief break from conference action next week, hosting UC San Diego on Friday at 7:00 p.m., first needing to make it through finals week at CBU.

"We want to finish well academically," said Croy. "Our guys have been working hard in the classroom. That's our No. 1 focus and then continue to improve on the floor. We have a really tough UC San Diego team coming next Friday."