Lancers Out Last Central Arkansas in Overtime

Friday, November 22

Riverside, Calif.

7:00 PM

California Baptist University

3-2,0-0WAC

104

Central Arkansas

1-5,0-0Southland

OT 1

Central Ark.

California Baptist

104

Lancers Out Last Central Arkansas in Overtime

11/22/2019 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Andrew Shortall and Danny Cross

RIVERSIDE – Career games from Ferron Flavors Jr., Tre Armstrong and clutch play down the stretch propelled California Baptist University to a 104-98 win over Central Arkansas.

The Lancers made the plays when they needed it most in a 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project game on Friday night in the CBU Events Center. Milan Acquaah came through in the clutch and hit two big free throws with five seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

CLUTCH!#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/AgJdCZ5hCf
— CBU Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) November 23, 2019

Acquaah, the Preseason Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year, was integral in the extra session, with seven points, two rebounds and an assist in the extra session. He finished with 16 points on 10-for-10 shooting from the free-throw line, nine assists, four rebounds and a steal.

Ferron Flavors Jr. and Tre Armstrong did the heavy lifting in regulation. Flavors scored a season-high 24 points with the help of six three-pointers, while Armstrong scored 17 on 5-of-7 shooting from distance. It more than tripled his previous season-high of five points.

CBU improves to 3-2 on the year, while UCA falls to 1-5. The Lancers will play Georgia State, which defeated Prairie View A&M earlier Friday, on Saturday at 7 p.m.

A total of five Lancers eclipsed double-digit scoring. De'jon Davis poured in 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 4-for-5 at the line to go along with six rebounds and three blocks. Omar Lo added 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting, five rebounds and a block, as well.

The chase-down block by Davis!#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/YVo177s12V
— CBU Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) November 23, 2019

CBU led for 40 of the 45 minutes on Friday night, but a strong second half helped Central Arkansas overcome a 10-point deficit at halftime. The Bears looked to build on their 87-86 lead when they went to the free-throw line to shoot two with eight seconds left.

Central Arkansas made the first and missed the second, and Davis brought down the rebound. The Bears then mistakenly fouled Acquaah as he pushed the ball up the court. Already in the double bonus, Acquaah made both free throws to tie the game and UCA's shot at the buzzer was off the mark to setup the extra period.

With momentum clearly on their side, the Lancers built on it and got a stop on defense on the first overtime possession. Zach Pirog corralled the miss and Acquaah ran up the floor, surveying his options before dishing to a wide-open Ty Rowell, who sank the three.

Huge three for Ty Rowell!#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/s4E8bnJG2v
— CBU Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) November 23, 2019

A hook shot from Davis and pull-up three from Acquaah gave the Lancers a 96-90 lead less than two minutes into overtime. CBU went 7-for-8 at the free-throw line in the final minute-and-a-half to pull out the victory.

Depth and offensive rebounding were the two biggest keys to the win. The Lancers' bench outscored the Bears 41-16, thanks in large part to Armstrong and Lo. CBU also had a 17-8 edge in second-chance points after grabbing 10 offensive rebounds.

Armstrong gave CBU a huge lift off the bench, as he put up a team-high 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three and four rebounds in the first half. Ferron Flavors Jr. scored 10 points and had two steals over the first 20 minutes.

CBU led most of the first half, with the one exception being when the Bears took a 22-21 lead with 11:59 left before halftime. A dunk from Lo gave the Lancers some momentum, and they used to go on a 17-6 run for a 38-28 lead at the 6:08 mark. Lo may have sparked the run, but Armstrong fueled it, as he knocked down three triples in less than five minutes.

👌👌👌👌

Tre Armstrong knocks down the fourth three of the game for the Lancers! #LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/EgnXykzXdO
— CBU Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) November 23, 2019

The Lancers' lead grew as high as 14 before Central Arkansas cut it down to 10 at the break, 49-39. The Bears started strong in the second half and retook a lead, 63-62, about eight minutes in.

A 14-4 run from CBU put it back up by nine, 76-67. Flavors scored eight of those points on two three-pointers and another jumper inside the arc. Armstrong also knocked down two more big threes to make up the run. A 19-10 charge from Central Arkansas helped it take a late lead and create all the drama and overtime.