RIVERSIDE --- California Baptist University's men's basketball team will take a break from Western Athletic Conference play this week, as the Lancers will host the Bethesda Flames on Friday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. for a nonconference matchup.
The Lancers come into Friday's contest at 12-5 on the season and 9-1 during the last 10 games. CBU is currently 3-1 in the WAC and holds sole possession of second place after sweeping both CSU Bakersfield and Grand Canyon on the road.
As the midway point of the 2019-20 season has arrived, the Lancers are on a strong pace to break some records in their second year of the transition period in DI. CBU has won a combined 28 games during the two seasons, with 14 counting games remaining for the RPI counter. Grand Canyon won 32 games during the RPI counter, and that number is the current best of all schools that qualify.
If you remove the RPI qualifier and simply count wins against DI opponents, the record is held by Grand Canyon and Seattle U at 30. Incarnate Word, Kennesaw State, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi are tied for third at 23, while the Lancers are one game back in sixth with 22 wins thus far. CBU has 12 games that remain on the schedule that count towards that list.
Head Coach Rick Croy was recently named on WatchStadium.com's Coach of the Year power rankings. Jeff Goodman, the Stadium Basketball Insider, released the top-25 with Coach Croy coming in at No. 25 as one of the best coaches in DI.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent:Â Bethesda UniversityÂ
Date:Â Friday, Jan. 17
Time:Â 7:00 p.m.
Location:Â CBU Events Center
Watch:Â Â WAC Digital Network
Live Stats:Â StatBroadcast
Radio:Â Fox Sports AM 1350
Lancer Live Tip-Off Show at 6:35 p.m. (PST)
Bethesda University is located in Anaheim and was founded by Dr. David Yonggi Cho in 1975. The Flames are 4-15 on the season and enter Friday's game on a two-game winning streak. This marks the third time the Lancers and the Flames will meet on the floor, as CBU holds a 2-0 series lead over BU.
Notables:
- The Flames are led by Amar Ross, Josiah Woods, and Eric LaShawn Hamilton on the season.
- Both Woods and Hamilton are the most reliable players on the team, as the two starters are averaging 12.8ppg and 11.8ppg, respectively.
- Head Coach Leo Balayon is the first and only Filipino (born and raised in the Philippines) to serve as a men's college basketball head coach in the United States.
- The Flames played the Lancers last season in the CBU Events Center, dropping the match, 116-65.
- In the 2016-17 season, the Flames achieved the biggest feat of the program by defeating NCAA DI opponent, CSUNÂ of the Big West Conference.
