IRVINE, Calif. — Going into Saturday's matchup with PacWest leader Concordia (Irvine), No. 23 California Baptist University knew it'd be in for a battle. It came down to the wire, but the Eagles managed to come away with the game, 82-81.
 
The Lancers drop to 17-5 overall, 8-4 in the PacWest. CUI remains in first place with a 18-3 overall mark, 11-2 in conference.
 
Gelaun Wheelwright led all scorers with 29 points (9-for-13). Taj Spencer followed with 14 points (5-for-11), while Jordan Giusti contributed 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting. Kalidou Diouf rounded out the scorers in double figures with 10 points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting.
 
From the get-go, a battle ensued as neither team could put a run together until halfway through the first half. After CUI opened with the first points of the night, Wheelwright drained a three to give CBU its first lead.
 
CBU went on a 6-0 run to take its first significant cushion of the night, 12-8, jump started by two free throws from Diouf. Michael Smith followed with a coast-to-coast layup after grabbing a defensive rebound and Diouf capped the run by posting up off an assist from Marquise Mosley.
 
The Eagles responded with a run of their own, to take their highest lead of the night so far, 22-14. Still, CBU moved on to the next play, determined to keep it close. Giusti grabbed a steal and finished his fast break layup to give the Lancers a 34-33 cushion, but they would go into halftime trailing 36-34.
 
Neither team could get the separation it desperately wanted as the second half opened up until CUI went up 55-50. It didn't last long, however, as Wheelwright drained back-to-back three-pointers to put CBU back in front, 56-55, with 12:15 left to play.
 
It started back-and-forth action as both teams tried to hold the edge heading down the stretch. CUI put a run together to hold a 69-61 cushion, but Michael Smith ended the spurt by driving to the basket and Taj Spencer followed with two free throws to cut the margin to just four points, 69-65.
 
A Smith floater put the Lancers within one possession, 71-69, but the Eagles scored back-to-back layups to keep the visitors at a distance.
 
The Eagles held the upper hand heading down the stretch, 75-70, but CBU stayed in it. Giusti snatched up a defensive rebound and sent Wheelwright off on a fast break, putting the Lancers within four, 78-74, and less than two and a half minutes remaining.
 
Spencer gave CBU the spark it was patiently waiting for, banking in a shot up and over his defender to put the Lancers within two, 80-78. He then blocked a shot on defense to put his team back on the attack. Giusti drove through traffic and found Wheelwright out in the corner. The senior guard found nothing but net to give CBU an 81-80 lead.
 
CUI called a timeout with 36.9 seconds and managed to drive to the basket to make it a one-point game with less than 15 seconds remaining. The Lancers called a timeout with 11.4 seconds, but couldn't get the shot to fall, dropping the game 82-81.
 
CBU returns home to host BYU-Hawaii on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. The matchup will be featured live on Fox Sports West. Fans can check to see what channel that is for them here: http://www.foxsports.com/tv-listings.