Friday, March 3
Irvine, Calif.
5:00 PM
California Baptist University
vs
Azusa Pacific
Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez
Lancers Prepare for Postseason Grind
3/2/2017 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
IRVINE, Calif. – The postseason grind is one California Baptist University knows well and welcomes, as its group of five seniors have qualified for the playoffs all four years.
It all starts again this week for the third-ranked Lancers in NCAA Division II at the 2017 PacWest Tournament. CBU opens the PacWest Tournament at Concordia (Irvine) Friday at 5 p.m. against fifth-seeded conference rival Azusa Pacific. The winner will advance to play the victor of Friday's semifinal between second-seeded Point Loma and third-seeded Hawaii Pacific.
"We will take it one game at a time, it's a tough matchup for us," said Coach Jarrod Olson, whose team defeated the Cougars in both regular-season games on scores of 81-71 and 82-76 at home and on the road, respectively. "The challenge is you just never know what's going to happen after that one game. We are looking at it like we're playing on Friday, we aren't looking beyond that."
Over the last three years, CBU has taken second in the conference championships each time and looks to win the program's first PacWest Tournament title in what has already been a historic season.
"We've literally come in second the last three years, so to win it would be huge for us, especially for the seniors," senior guard Erin Asher said.
Coming into the playoffs, CBU is riding a 26-game winning streak and has won its last 33 home contests. The Lancers not only rank third in all of Division II but second in the West Region, which puts them in a position to host the NCAA regional round with a strong showing in the PacWest Tournament.
The Lancers came into their regular-season finale with 12-straight victories by at least double-digit points, but were tested on their Senior Night against Point Loma. CBU pulled out the 94-85 overtime win for a huge boost of momentum going into the playoffs.
"It was definitely good for us to play in a close game and be really pushed to our limit," Olson said. "It got us more prepared for the tournament setting because we'll be playing against better teams, things will be tighter and we're better for it."
It was even more impressive for the Lancers considering they were playing shorthanded after some key players got in foul trouble or rested.
"It showed a lot about this team in an overtime game and in a big-time environment," Diaz said. "I think that will help this team."
Three freshly-minted, all-conference guards lead CBU statistically. The 2016-17 PacWest Player of the Year Cassidy Mihalko leads the Lancers in points (20.0) and rebounds (7.7) per game, while the first-teamer Diaz follows with 14.2 points and a team-high six assists a night. Courtney Nelson gives CBU arguably the most intimidating trio of guards in Division II, with 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists an outing.
Balance is really what separates the Lancers from their competition, though, as they are two to three deep at every position on the floor.
Center Tori Mitchell averages 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 18.1 minutes a game, while true freshman forward Lexy Ram and sophomore guard Emma Meriggioli put up 9.1 and 8.1 points, respectively a contest. Asher is another instant-offense senior guard for the Lancers, with averages 7.5 points and 3.3 assists, while senior forward Olivia Weber contributes 5.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in 16.9 minutes a game.
"That's probably one of the coolest things about our team," Olson said, "you're not sure who it's going to be but someone is going to be ready when the time is right for them."
For information on live coverage, tickets and more, visit the PacWest Tournament Central. The championship game of the PacWest Tournament will be streamed nationally on WatchESPN and the ESPN app on Saturday at 2 p.m. To learn how to access WatchESPN, click here.
CBU hopes plenty of Lancer fans will make the short trip to Irvine to watch the tournament in person and help give them an edge on their competition.
"It would be awesome because it's on a neutral floor, but to have a few or even more than a few fans there would just make us feel at home in Van Dyne," Asher said. "We've done well in Van Dyne, so it would be nice to have that home feeling."
GAME NOTES
It all starts again this week for the third-ranked Lancers in NCAA Division II at the 2017 PacWest Tournament. CBU opens the PacWest Tournament at Concordia (Irvine) Friday at 5 p.m. against fifth-seeded conference rival Azusa Pacific. The winner will advance to play the victor of Friday's semifinal between second-seeded Point Loma and third-seeded Hawaii Pacific.
"We will take it one game at a time, it's a tough matchup for us," said Coach Jarrod Olson, whose team defeated the Cougars in both regular-season games on scores of 81-71 and 82-76 at home and on the road, respectively. "The challenge is you just never know what's going to happen after that one game. We are looking at it like we're playing on Friday, we aren't looking beyond that."
Over the last three years, CBU has taken second in the conference championships each time and looks to win the program's first PacWest Tournament title in what has already been a historic season.
"We've literally come in second the last three years, so to win it would be huge for us, especially for the seniors," senior guard Erin Asher said.
Coming into the playoffs, CBU is riding a 26-game winning streak and has won its last 33 home contests. The Lancers not only rank third in all of Division II but second in the West Region, which puts them in a position to host the NCAA regional round with a strong showing in the PacWest Tournament.
The Lancers came into their regular-season finale with 12-straight victories by at least double-digit points, but were tested on their Senior Night against Point Loma. CBU pulled out the 94-85 overtime win for a huge boost of momentum going into the playoffs.
"It was definitely good for us to play in a close game and be really pushed to our limit," Olson said. "It got us more prepared for the tournament setting because we'll be playing against better teams, things will be tighter and we're better for it."
It was even more impressive for the Lancers considering they were playing shorthanded after some key players got in foul trouble or rested.
"It showed a lot about this team in an overtime game and in a big-time environment," Diaz said. "I think that will help this team."
Three freshly-minted, all-conference guards lead CBU statistically. The 2016-17 PacWest Player of the Year Cassidy Mihalko leads the Lancers in points (20.0) and rebounds (7.7) per game, while the first-teamer Diaz follows with 14.2 points and a team-high six assists a night. Courtney Nelson gives CBU arguably the most intimidating trio of guards in Division II, with 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists an outing.
Balance is really what separates the Lancers from their competition, though, as they are two to three deep at every position on the floor.
Center Tori Mitchell averages 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 18.1 minutes a game, while true freshman forward Lexy Ram and sophomore guard Emma Meriggioli put up 9.1 and 8.1 points, respectively a contest. Asher is another instant-offense senior guard for the Lancers, with averages 7.5 points and 3.3 assists, while senior forward Olivia Weber contributes 5.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in 16.9 minutes a game.
"That's probably one of the coolest things about our team," Olson said, "you're not sure who it's going to be but someone is going to be ready when the time is right for them."
For information on live coverage, tickets and more, visit the PacWest Tournament Central. The championship game of the PacWest Tournament will be streamed nationally on WatchESPN and the ESPN app on Saturday at 2 p.m. To learn how to access WatchESPN, click here.
CBU hopes plenty of Lancer fans will make the short trip to Irvine to watch the tournament in person and help give them an edge on their competition.
"It would be awesome because it's on a neutral floor, but to have a few or even more than a few fans there would just make us feel at home in Van Dyne," Asher said. "We've done well in Van Dyne, so it would be nice to have that home feeling."
GAME NOTES
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
F
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