California Baptist University
4-0,0-0WAC
San Jose State
1-2,0-0Mountain West
Armstrong's Free Throws Lift Lancers Over San Jose State; Extend Win Streak To Four In A Row
11/18/2021 10:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE --- It came down to the final seconds on Thursday night, as California Baptist University's Taran Armstrong hit a pair of free throws to give the Lancers a 67-66 victory over Mountain West opponent San Jose State.
With 5:06 left on the clock, the Lancers faced a nine-point deficit after a Spartan three by Trey Anderson.
"An absolute battle," said CBU head coach Rick Croy. "I thought we found our toughness in the last five minutes of the game. I don't just say that because we had some good outcomes on the defensive side of the ball. I thought our eyes, our talk, was a lot better there down the stretch. We executed. To win the close ones, you have to have the guys on the floor execute, and those guys did."
Pushing the pace, Ty Rowell helped jumpstart a Lancer run with a fast-break layup at the 4:23 mark. Reed Nottage got in on the action scoring five straight points with a deep three at the 3:07 mark to cut the deficit to two, 62-60.
Let it flyyyyyy!!!#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/rHejoOjHaM
— California Baptist Men's Basketball 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@CBUmbb) November 19, 2021
San Jose State put a halt to the Lancer 7-0 run on an Alvaro Cardenas layup, but that wouldn't stop the Lancers. Nottage knocked down his sixth three of the game at the 2:20 mark to bring the Lancers within one, 64-63.
REED NOTTAGE, OHHH MYYYY!!!! pic.twitter.com/9KMVDLBse6
— California Baptist Men's Basketball 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@CBUmbb) November 19, 2021
Dan Akin gave the Lancers the lead with a little over a minute left in the game, but the Spartans responded on the other end with a hook shot jumper to take back the one-point lead, 66-65.
Taran Armstrong drew a foul with 7.8 seconds left in the game, with the Lancers needing both to keep the win streak alive. With the game on the line, Armstrong sunk both free throws, and the final shot by the Spartans fell short.
TARAN ARMSTRONG WITH ICE IN HIS VEINS ❄️#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/rmGDtXIEZl
— California Baptist Men's Basketball 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@CBUmbb) November 19, 2021
The win keeps the Lancers perfect on the year as they extend their streak to four in a row. San Jose State falls to 1-2 after suffering a loss to Stanford earlier in the week.
Taran Armstrong finished his night with the program's first triple-double, recording 16 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. Nottage finished his line with a career-high 28 points, going 11-19 from the field and 6-9 from beyond the arc. Tre Armstrong was the final Lancer in double figures with 10 points and three rebounds.
Both teams were pretty even shooting-wise, as the Lancers took the edge in field goal percentage (48%-46%) and 3-point percentage (40%-38%). The score was tied six times, and the lead changed hands eight times.
UP NEXT:
The Lancers will close out their five-game homestand on Sunday, Nov. 18, when they welcome Northern Colorado to the Events Center.
FOLLOW ALONG:
All home and away games for CBU men's basketball will once again be available through Fox Sports AM1350 in the greater Riverside area and beyond. Braiden Bell will handle play-by-play responsibilities and host pre-game and post-game shows featuring exclusive interviews with the team and Coach Rick Croy. Fans can download the iHeartRadio app for free and listen to the CBU broadcasts from anywhere. Simply search for Fox Sports 1350 when using the iHeartRadio app.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Don't forget to follow @CBUMBB on Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with the season.
🗣️ Coach Croy postgame praise of Reed Nottage and Taran Armstrong after CBU defeated San Jose State, 67-66.#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/loR7ZP8iOx
— California Baptist Men's Basketball 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (@CBUmbb) November 19, 2021
