Friday, March 2
Riverside, Calif.
5:00 pm
California Baptist University
25-4
67
vs
57
Azusa Pacific
20-10
1
2
F
Azusa Pacific
26
31
57
California Baptist
25
42
67
Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez
Heading to the 'Ship
3/2/2018 7:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — After securing a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed in the PacWest Conference Tournament, No. 18-ranked California Baptist University grabbed a 67-57 victory over Azusa Pacific to advance to the championship game for the third time on Friday.
It marked the third time the Lancers and Cougars faced each other this year, with the Lancers winning all three. CBU improves to 25-4 overall, while APU drops to 20-10 and waits to see if it will advance to the NCAA Division II West Regional on Sunday.
Jordan Heading led the Lancers to their 11th-straight win with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including a 3-of-5 performance from the perimeter. He also dished out five assists without turning the ball over once.
Kalidou Diouf finished with a double-double, chipping in 10 points and 11 rebounds. He also blocked three Cougar shots.
Gabe Taylor scored the first bucket of the night and Bul Kuol followed with a fast-break layup after stealing the ball away on the Cougars' first chance on offense, 4-0.
It was the largest lead either team would get in the first half, with five lead changes and four ties.
The back-and-forth action continued as APU held a one-point lead, 26-25, at halftime, but Diouf opened the second half with a layup to put CBU back in front early, 27-26.
Back-to-back triples from Ty Rowell sparked an 11-0 run, as Heading drew a charge to put CBU back on the attack. Matt Hubbard (eight points) kept the run going, knocking down a triple of his own at the top of the key, before Heading banked in a tough shot to put the Lancers in front by 10 points, 42-32, with just over 12 minutes left on the clock.
APU responded and cut the margin down to four, 44-40, but Cory Lange drained a deep, second-chance three to keep some distance between the Lancers and the Cougars.
The Lancer defense got some stops with under eight minutes to play, putting CBU back up by double-digits, 57-45, with 5:42 on the clock. APU called a timeout, hoping to regroup, but turned the ball over.
Heading down the stretch with the 12-point lead, CBU kept its defense on lockdown, despite APU trying to claw its way back in.
With under two minutes remaining, the Cougars cut the margin down into single digits, 61-53, and called a timeout.
Diouf floated in a jumper out of the break, before APU proceeded to foul with a minute left. Jason Todd and Diouf finished their chances at the line to seal the 67-57 victory.
CBU will face top-seeded Dixie State for the championship Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The PacWest Tournament Champion gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II West Region, while the Lancers sit as the No. 2 team in the region. The NCAA Selection Show airs Sunday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. Pacific on the ncaa.com website.
CBU's postgame comments:
It marked the third time the Lancers and Cougars faced each other this year, with the Lancers winning all three. CBU improves to 25-4 overall, while APU drops to 20-10 and waits to see if it will advance to the NCAA Division II West Regional on Sunday.
Jordan Heading led the Lancers to their 11th-straight win with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including a 3-of-5 performance from the perimeter. He also dished out five assists without turning the ball over once.
Kalidou Diouf finished with a double-double, chipping in 10 points and 11 rebounds. He also blocked three Cougar shots.
Gabe Taylor scored the first bucket of the night and Bul Kuol followed with a fast-break layup after stealing the ball away on the Cougars' first chance on offense, 4-0.
It was the largest lead either team would get in the first half, with five lead changes and four ties.
The back-and-forth action continued as APU held a one-point lead, 26-25, at halftime, but Diouf opened the second half with a layup to put CBU back in front early, 27-26.
Back-to-back triples from Ty Rowell sparked an 11-0 run, as Heading drew a charge to put CBU back on the attack. Matt Hubbard (eight points) kept the run going, knocking down a triple of his own at the top of the key, before Heading banked in a tough shot to put the Lancers in front by 10 points, 42-32, with just over 12 minutes left on the clock.
APU responded and cut the margin down to four, 44-40, but Cory Lange drained a deep, second-chance three to keep some distance between the Lancers and the Cougars.
The Lancer defense got some stops with under eight minutes to play, putting CBU back up by double-digits, 57-45, with 5:42 on the clock. APU called a timeout, hoping to regroup, but turned the ball over.
Heading down the stretch with the 12-point lead, CBU kept its defense on lockdown, despite APU trying to claw its way back in.
With under two minutes remaining, the Cougars cut the margin down into single digits, 61-53, and called a timeout.
Diouf floated in a jumper out of the break, before APU proceeded to foul with a minute left. Jason Todd and Diouf finished their chances at the line to seal the 67-57 victory.
CBU will face top-seeded Dixie State for the championship Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The PacWest Tournament Champion gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II West Region, while the Lancers sit as the No. 2 team in the region. The NCAA Selection Show airs Sunday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. Pacific on the ncaa.com website.
CBU's postgame comments:
Team Stats
APU
CBU
FG%
.365
.451
3FG%
.300
.375
FT%
.455
.667
RB
40
34
TO
9
8
STL
4
4
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
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