California Baptist University
CSU Bakersfield
MBB Preview: First WAC Road Test
1/6/2020 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE --- California Baptist University will get a taste of its first Western Athletic Conference road test this week, as the Lancers face CSU Bakersfield on Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. and Grand Canyon on Jan. 11 at 5 p.m. (PST).
The Lancers opened up WAC play at 1-1 after downing The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 2, 76-67, before falling to WAC favorite NM State on Jan. 4, 86-71. The win over the Vaqueros on opening night of conference play extended the Lancers WAC season opener streak to two in a row.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: CSU Bakersfield
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Bakersfield, Calif. (The Icardo Center)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Radio: Fox Sports AM 1350
Lancer Live Tip-Off Show at 6:35 p.m. (PST)
CSU Bakersfield opened its first week of conference play hosting Grand Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 4. The Roadrunners came away with a 69-62 victory over the Lopes to start WAC play undefeated for the second straight season.
Notables:
- CSU Bakersfield is 7-9, 1-0 on the season and is currently tied for second in the conference standings.
- On Nov. 27, 2017, CSUB announced that it would leave the WAC and join the Big West Conference on July 1, 2020.
- Last season, the 'Runners and the Lancers split the conference series as each team won on the road. CSUB won the first matchup in the CBU Events Center, 88-84, but the Lancers had the last word, winning the final matchup of the year in Bakersfield, 72-58.
- The dynamic duo of De'Monte Buckingham and Taze Moore have been the recipe for the Roadrunners, as the two redshirt juniors lead the team in almost every category. Buckingham went 8-15 from the field for a team-high 25 points in the win over GCU, while Moore went 6-12 for 15 points.
- Cam Allen is dangerous for deep with the second-best 3-point percentage in the WAC at 44.7 percent.
- The Roadrunners are second in the conference when it comes to rebounding with an average of 39.2 rebounds per game. The Lancers lead the WAC with an average of 40.7rpg.
- Head Coach Rod Barnes is in his ninth season at the helm of the program and has led the 'Runners to the postseason four times, including three of the past four seasons.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: Grand Canyon
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11
Time: 5:00 p.m. (PST)
Location: Phoenix, Ariz. (GCU Arena)
Watch: ESPN+, GCU TV
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Radio: Fox Sports AM 1350
Lancer Live Tip-Off Show at 4:35 p.m. (PST)
Saturday's game against Grand Canyon will mark just the second game for the Lopes in conference play. The Lopes are currently 5-10 on the season and 0-1 in the WAC after dropping the WAC opener to CSU Bakersfield on Jan. 4.
Notables:
- With a week off of competition, the Lopes will play just their second game of the WAC schedule against the Lancers on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Lancers will have three games under their belt after playing a midweek game at CSUB.
- Grand Canyon dropped its WAC opener to CSUB in a 69-62 showdown. The loss to the Roadrunners was the first time since the Lopes joined the WAC that they lost the conference opener. Coming into the Jan. 4 game, the Lopes were a perfect 6-0 in WAC openers.
- GCU leans on Carlos Johnson and Alessandro Lever, as the pair combine for 43 percent of the team's scoring on the season.
- Both Johnson and Lever were named to the All-WAC Preseason Team by the coaches and media.
- GCU is currently eighth in the WAC in scoring with an average of 67.5 points per game, while the Lancers top the conference at 81.5 points per game.
- Since the Lopes joined the WAC in 2013, they have been led by head coach Dan Majerle.
- Majerle, a former NBA All-Star and Olympian, is in his seventh season at the helm of the program and the 13th coach in the history of the program.
