RIVERSIDE --- California Baptist University will finish the Western Athletic Conference season on the road this week, as the Lancers will take on NM State on March 5 and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on March 7.
The Lancers enter the week on a three-game winning streak after beating Chicago State, Utah Valley, and, most recently, Seattle U. The game against the Redhawks was one that will be remembered for a long time in the CBU Events Center, as a sellout crowd of 5,050-plus fans watched as Milan Acquaah hit the game-winner in overtime.
CBU is 21-8 on the season and 10-4 in the WAC. It marks the first 20-plus win season for the Lancers in the NCAA Division I era. The Lancers are two games ahead of third-place UT Rio Grande Valley.
De'jon Davis was named the TicketSmarter WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Monday, after averaging 26 points per game and 15.5 rebounds per game in the Lancers' two home wins.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: NM State
Date: Thursday, March 5
Time: 6:00 p.m. (PST)
Location: Las Cruces, N.M. (Pan American Center)
Watch: WACDigitalNetwork
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Radio: Fox Sports AM 1350
Lancer Live Tip-Off Show at 5:35 p.m. (PST)
NM State is currently 24-6 on the season and a WAC-best 15-0 in conference play. The Aggies are currently on an 18-game winning streak, which leads DI men's basketball for most consecutive wins this season.
Notables:
- NM State has won 30 straight WAC contests with their last loss dating back to Jan. 3, 2019, when the Lancers beat the Aggies in their first-ever WAC game in the CBU Events Center.
- The Aggies locked up the WAC regular-season title and will be the No. 1 seed heading into the WAC Tournament on March 12-14.
- NM State holds a 1-2 series lead over the Lancers, and the Aggies only loss at home this season came to New Mexico on Nov. 21 in a one-point game, 78-77.
- The Aggies are led by Jabari Rice, Trevelin Queen, and Ivan Aurrecoechea, as all three players average 11 or more points per contest.
- The Aggies are an extremely efficient team from the field, as Johnny McCants and Aurrecoechea lead the WAC in field goal percentage shooting over 57 percent. Davis isn't far off from the Aggie pair at 56.6 percent on the season.
- Head Coach Chris Jans is in his third season at the helm of the program and returned four of his five starters from the 2019-20 WAC Championship season.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Date: Saturday, March 7
Time: 5:00 p.m. (PST)
Location: Edinburg, Texas (UTRGV Fieldhouse)
Watch: WACDigitalNetwork
Live Stats: SidearmStats
Radio: Fox Sports AM 1350
Lancer Live Tip-Off Show at 4:35 p.m. (PST)
The Vaqueros are 13-16 on the season and 8-7 in the WAC. UTRGV is currently on a one-game win streak after beating Grand Canyon, 88-80.
Notables:
- Saturday's game marks the final contest for both the Vaqueros and the Lancers in the regular season.
- It's been over two months since UTRGV and CBU squared off on the floor, as the Lancers won the first matchup, 76-67.
- UTRGV kicked off the month of February red hot, rattling off five straight conference wins from Feb. 1-15.
- The Vaqueros are led by Lesley Varner II, Jordan Jackson, and Javon Levi, as all three players average 11 or more points per contest.
- Varner II leads the team in scoring with 447 points on the season (15.4ppg) while playing and starting in all 29 games.
- Varner II and Jackson are ranked as the fourth and fifth-best free-throw shooters in the conference, shooting over 85 percent from the line.
- The game against the Lancers on March 7 is the only game on the slate this week for the Vaqueros.
- Head Coach Lew Hill is in his fourth season at the helm of the program.
