All Is Wright

Thursday, January 7

Riverside, Calif.

7:00 PM

California Baptist University

13-2, 4-1PWC

106

Chaminade

5-8, 3-3PWC

Chaminade

California Baptist

106

Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez

1/7/2016 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Sammi Sheppard, Director of Sports Information

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - After moving into second place in the PacWest on Tuesday, No. 10 California Baptist University wanted to keep going in the same direction. The Lancers had to fight through some adversity, but put together a late surge to defeat Chaminade 106-89 Thursday night.

CBU improves to 13-2 overall, 4-1 in the PacWest, and an impressive 40-1 in the Van Dyne Gym since 2013. The Silverswords fall to 5-8 on the year, 3-3 in conference with the loss.

"I think Van Dyne has great energy and a special feel to it," said head coach Rick Croy about what makes Van Dyne Gym a great place to defend. "It's an old-school facility that feels like a basketball gym. Plus, we have a great blend of student, faculty, staff and community support. We're getting great crowds and it's a great atmosphere."

Gelaun Wheelwright had a monstrous night, scoring a game-high 33 points on 12-for-23 shooting. Michael Smith followed with 20 points (7-for-11), while Taj Spencer (6-for-11) and Trevone Williams (4-for-8) rounded out the Lancers scoring in double figures with 18 and 10 points respectively. Spencer chipped in 13 rebounds as well to grab a double-double on the night and help CBU out-rebound the Silverswords 47-to-35.

Smith dished out a game- and career-high seven assists, while Williams (also a career-high) and Jordan Giusti - who also had six steals - finished with five assists a piece. CBU posted 22 assists on the night.

"We're unselfish," said Croy. "The guys love playing together. There are a lot of guys who can score it and pass it. We're really learning to play together. We had some uncharacteristic turnovers tonight so we need to clean that up. It really just says the guys trust each other."

Chaminade may have scored first, but the Lancers quickly found their rhythm to jump out in front with the first significant lead of the night. CBU scored three consecutive three-pointers, from Wheelwright, Smith and Williams and continued the run to take a 14-4 lead early.

The Lancers went on a brief dry spell, allowing the Silverswords to climb back into it at 18-14, but Smith broke through the drought with a nothing-but-net shot from the corner.

As the clock hit the 10-minute mark in the first half, a battle ensued. Chaminade managed to take back the lead, 28-27. It didn't last long, however, as Giusti hit two free throws to put his team back in front, 29-28.

Despite the Silverswords trying to claw their way back in front, the Lancers held firm and got some big stops on defense. Williams denied two Chaminade attempts to put CBU on the attack on consecutive defensive plays, allowing Smith to score off the fast break to try to create some distance for the Lancers, 36-32.

Chaminade tried to take advantage of a counter attack, but Giusti denied the attempt, hustling down the court to swat the ball away. Spencer followed with an old-fashioned three-point play and drew a Silversword offensive foul to keep momentum building for the home team.

With less than a minute left in the first, Chaminade took a 44-43 lead. Wheelwright responded by rattling in a three-pointer, putting CBU into the break with a 46-44 lead.

The Lancers weren't out of the danger zone yet with 20-full minutes left to be played. Chaminade opened the second half by taking back the lead 54-50, but CBU tied things back up with four-straight points after making big defensive stops.

More back-and-forth action commenced as Chaminade gave the Lancers some adversity to battle through. CBU kept its composure, waiting to make its move.

Down 64-61, Jordan Heading found a lane to drive to the basket and drew a foul in the process. He finished the and-one opportunity before Giusti stole the ball away from a Silversword to put Smith on a fast break to give CBU a 67-64 lead and force a Chaminade timeout.

The Lancer defense kept the run going, stealing the ball away once more to give Wheelwright the green light to knock down a deep three to make it 70-64 in favor of CBU with 11:35 left to play.

"We kept our poise," said Croy. "We have great respect for Chaminade and its ability to score the basket. I think going to zone defense also helped us. It threw off their rhythm a bit and we got just enough stops to give ourselves a chance and grab some offensive momentum."

Spencer showed his strength by posting up under the basket to put CBU in front by 10. Wheelwright put the score line even further out of reach, draining a three from the top of the arc, forcing Chaminade to call their final timeout.

With just over five minutes remaining, CBU kept its composure as the Silverswords started to get frustrated. Spencer found Wheelwright making a run under the basket, where he drew a foul as he laid it in. Wheelwright hit his free throw to round it up to three points, putting CBU threatening a 20-point cushion, 97-80, with three minutes left on the clock.

Smith put the Lancers into triple-digit territory, 101-84, with 1:21 left to play. Heading sealed the 106-89 victory with less than 30 seconds, finding nothing but net from the perimeter.

"In this conference, you have to protect your home court to even have a crack at winning the PacWest," said Croy. "We can't drop many at home and be a contender for the title."

CBU has another quick turnaround, hosting Fresno Pacific on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The game will be featured on ESPN 3, which can be streamed on the WatchESPN app, streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, or at http://es.pn/1JV5il6.

"We'll prepare tomorrow for Saturday," said Croy. "Our guys appreciate the opportunity to play at home. They're ready to play. They've been waiting for these games. It's pure enthusiasm moving forward. Our guys are ready to compete."