RIVERSIDE, Calif. — No. 12-ranked California Baptist University rang in the new year in style, grabbing a 100-65 victory Monday night over Holy Names. The win comes after a long road trip in Northern California just before the NCAA Division II's mandated week break.

"I think the trip up north was great for us," said head coach Rick Croy. "We really locked in as a team. We're getting tougher and tighter, really coming together.
 
"It was kind of a tricky time: just as we're playing our best ball, the break comes," added Croy. "At the same time, the break was good for us to get away from each other for a little bit. I still don't think we're anywhere near as good as we can be so we're just going to keep working at it."

The Lancers keep their PacWest record unfazed as they move to 11-1 on the season and 5-0 in conference. The Hawks drop to 2-12 overall and 0-6 in the PacWest.
 
Five Lancers ended the night in double-figures, led by Michael Smith with 19 points (8-for-11). Taj Spencer (8-for-12) and Gelaun Wheelwright (6-for-14) each tacked on 16 points for CBU, while Trevone Williams finished with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting. Eric Hunt rounded out the quintet with 10 points on perfect shooting from both inside (4-for-4) and outside the arc (2-for-2).

"Hunt's been playing and practicing like that," said Croy on Hunt's performance. "He's gotten a lot stronger. He's a different player than he was this time last year. That's going to be big for us."

"The team played well and moved the ball well, which allows us to get good shots," said Hunt. "We played well as a team and it allowed us to get good looks."
 
Chris Brown was a key factor in helping get those good looks, boasting an impressive 7-to-0 assist-to-turnover ratio on the night. Jordan Giusti also helped, finishing the night with a 5-to-1 ratio.

"I think our depth stood out tonight in out point guard play," said Croy. "It's really improving. Chris is playing great and Giusti is getting better and better. That spots key for us."
 
CBU scored the first bucket of the night, but HNU put up a fight early on, not letting the Lancers go up by more than two possessions for the first seven minutes. With the score at 16-14 in favor of the Lancers, Smith capped a 6-0 run with an and-one play, driving to the basket and drawing a foul.
 
The Hawks cut the score to 32-27, but the Lancers had a response of their own as Eric Nelson hit three free throws to spark an 8-0 run. CBU went up by as many as 18 points in the first half, but HNU shaved off six points to walk into halftime down 51-39.
 
HNU tried to bring the margin back under double-digits, cutting the home team's lead to 10 points, but CBU went on a 12-0 rampage to hold a commanding 70-48 lead. The Lancers kept tempo up, forcing the Hawks to turn the ball over as they built up their highest lead of the night at 92-54 after Wheelwright sank a three and Brown followed with a fast-break layup.
 
The Hawks responded by scoring six-straight points, but the Lancers closed out the night by breaking into triple-digit territory with the 100-65 victory.
 
CBU continues on its four-game home stand Thursday, hosting Dominican University of California at 7:00 p.m. 

"We need to keep improving on our ball movement and defense," said Croy. "We're going to have to defend better than we did tonight, especially in the first half—I didn't think we were as locked in as we needed to be. I think our commitment in practice is excellent so we'll just keep getting better and better."