Weathering The Storm
ST. GEORGE, Utah --- Needing a win to secure a first-round bye in the PacWest Tournament, California Baptist University came out firing early Saturday morning. The Lancers jumped out in front in the first half and held on to a 96-85 victory over Dixie State.
With the win, the Lancers improve to 15-11, 13-7 in the Pac West. The Red Storm fall to an even 13-13 overall, 11-9 in conference.
Four CBU hoopsters finished the morning with scores in double figures, led by Kamille Diaz and Ashley Jones with 18 apiece. Jones went 5-for-10 from the field and 4-for-7 from three-point range to spark the Lancer bench. Erin Asher (6-for-9) and Cassidy Mihalko (7-for-11) followed with 16 points each.
“It was a real team effort,” said head coach Jarrod Olson. “Everyone contributed in their own way. Hopefully we can build on this going into the tournament.”
Off the boards, Olivia Weber and Elise Shelton each grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
In front of a live, national broadcast on CBS Sports Network—as a featured NCAA Division II game—the home squad grabbed the first two buckets of the night to take an early 4-0 lead.
Determined to not let the game get out of hand too soon, CBU evened the score for the first time at 8-8 after four minutes of action, but couldn't quite take the lead over just yet. Dixie State responded with a 5-0 run, but CBU answered back with its own five-point run to tie the game once more at 13-13.
Even at 17-17, the Lancers exploded offensively to score 11 consecutive points to put the Red Storm in a bit of a hole. Jones initiated the run with a three-pointer from Chanel Cambronero and Mihalko followed with back-to-back fast break points, including one off a steal. Asher and Diaz got in on the action to each add a jumper, giving CBU a 28-17 cushion with just under 10 minutes before halftime.
The Red Storm ended the spree with a shot from the perimeter to cut the lead into single digits, but the Lancers turned right around and built back their lead at 36-22 off a Mihalko three.
Leading 45-35 with four minutes in the first, the Lancers grabbed their highest lead of the morning at 15 points off a 5-0 run, capped by a layup from Asher in the paint. CBU held on to hold the upper hand at 54-44 at the break.
With Wednesday night's loss still in the back of their minds, the Lancers knew they needed to keep the pressure on offensively and weather the Red Storm's push. Dixie State opened the second half with a 9-2 run to put the score within reach at 56-53 four minutes into the second.
CBU kept its composure and kept the Red Storm's efforts at bay, building back its double-digit lead with 10 minutes remaining. Dixie State kept pushing, however, cutting the Lancers' lead to five heading down the stretch.
As the Red Storm tried to foul back into the contest with a minute left, Asher, Jasmine Sauser and Cambronero finished crucial free throws to hand CBU the 96-85 victory.
The Lancers return home to iron out any kinks before heading to San Diego, Calif., for the PacWest Tournament. CBU gets a first-round bye and will play on Friday at 5:30 p.m. against the winner of the Dominican and Hawaii Pacific game, slated for Thursday evening.
