SAN DIEGO — No. 4 California Baptist University came out Friday night looking to keep momentum going as it closes out the regular season. The Lancers, who also rank fourth in the NCAA Division II West Region, did just that, defeating Point Loma 88-70.
 
The win improves CBU to 24-1 on the year, 16-1 in the PacWest, extending the Lancers' unbeaten streak to 17-straight games and moving CBU back into a tie for first in conference. The Sea Lions drop to 17-8 overall, 10-7 in the PacWest.
 
Cassidy Mihalko led CBU with 25 points (9-for-12) and picked up a double-double with 10 rebounds. Four other Lancers finished with double-digit points, including Courtney Nelson, who chipped in 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Erin Asher contributed 14 points (6-for-10), while Kamille Diaz (3-for-8) and Megan Frerer (5-for-7) each finished with 11 points.
 
Point Loma opened with the first points of the night, jumping out in front 9-4 early. All of a sudden, something clicked for the Lancers as they soon grabbed their first significant cushion of the night, 17-11.
 
Nelson started a 7-0 spurt with a jump shot off a Diaz assist before Mihalko drained a wide-open three to give her team some separation. Nelson bookended the run by finding an open lane to the rim before the Sea Lions could stop the scoring.
 
Point Loma clawed its way back into the game and even took back the lead, 37-33, with a little over a minute left before halftime. Frerer kept the Sea Lions from grabbing too much momentum, however, banking in a shot off the backboard to put the Lancers down just two at halftime, 37-35.
 
Mihalko put CBU back in front to start the second half, hitting a three to give her squad a 38-37 edge. Asher followed with a triple of her own after the Sea Lions turned the ball over, putting CBU in front 41-37.
 
The Lancers looked to separate themselves from the home team, but couldn't get the distance they craved until the final quarter of the game.
 
PLNU brought itself within two possessions, 62-57, but threes from Emma Meriggioli and Diaz, followed by a free throw from Frerer, extended CBU's edge into double-digit territory.
 
In the final four minutes of action, the Lancers turned it on and never looked back to completely put the game out of reach. Point Loma had cut the margin to nine, 71-62, but Nelson found a lane to drive to the basket. Diaz followed with a deep shot from beyond the arc to give CBU a 14-point upper hand.
 
The Lancers closed the quarter on a 9-3 run to take the game 88-70.
 
CBU has one final road trip left in the regular season, heading to the Bay Area for a three-game swing. Tuesday's matchup at Academy of Art will be a huge deciding game in the race for the PacWest title and even playoff implications. The two teams tip off at 5:30 p.m. in San Francisco.