Thursday, March 11
Las Vegas, Nev.
4:30 PM
California Baptist University
13-10,6-6WAC
66
vs
83
No. 5 Seattle U
12-10,4-5WAC
1
2
F
Seattle U
42
41
83
California Baptist
37
29
66
Photo by: Lucas Peltier/WAC
Lancers Challenge Seattle U in WAC Opener
3/11/2021 7:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LAS VEGAS – A dominant performance by Gorjok Gak was not enough as California Baptist University was defeated by Seattle U, 83-66, in the opening round of the Western Athletic Conference tournament at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday evening.
Gak finished with a team-high 17 points en route to his 10th double-double of the season with 11 boards along with four blocks and a steal. He was solid from the field, going 6-11, and was 5-6 from the free-throw line. Gak was named to the All-WAC Second Team earlier this week.
The Lancers opened their first-ever WAC tournament game with a flurry of baskets for an early 9-3 advantage. However, Seattle U responded, taking the lead during a 12-0 run that allowed them to take control just five minutes into the game. The Redhawks extended their lead to a first-half high of nine at 33-24 with 4:07 remaining. CBU didn't back down, though, and finished the half with a thunderous dunk by Gak that cut the deficit to just five points, taking momentum to the locker room.
"Thought we came out in the second half, tightened the screws," said CBU head coach Rick Croy. "Played with more purpose and then it got away from us again. They (Seattle) had some guys that stepped up and played really well."
Seattle was led by Nate Robinson and Darrion Trammell as they combined for 53 points on 18-of-36 shooting. Emeka Udenyi posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Tre Armstrong had a strong showing for the Lancers with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists. Nottage finished with 11 points and five boards.
"This game hurt," added Croy. "When you got a team that cares as much as our team cares, and you don't perform or compete the way that you know you are capable of, it stings. It obviously stings a lot more this time of the year."
The Lancers fall to 13-10 overall while the Redhawks improve to 12-10. Seattle U advances to the WAC semifinals to take on top-seeded Grand Canyon on Friday. CBU will now wait for a potential postseason opportunity.
"I thought it was really important coming into this game that we play with the better edge, sense of urgency, attention to detail, and that wasn't the case," said Croy. "This team has competed extremely well all year long, and this was not our best competitive performance. Credit to Seattle as I thought they competed and played well, and that's typically required in March."
CBU, in just its third season at the NCAA Division I level, has a total of 50 wins since 2018. The Lancers entered this season after posting an NCAA record with 37 wins in their first two years as a transitioning DI program. In addition to CBU's winning tradition, Croy secured his 300th career win back in December - making him one of the youngest coaches in college hoops with that accomplishment. Croy currently has 312 wins as a head coach.
Gak finished with a team-high 17 points en route to his 10th double-double of the season with 11 boards along with four blocks and a steal. He was solid from the field, going 6-11, and was 5-6 from the free-throw line. Gak was named to the All-WAC Second Team earlier this week.
The Lancers opened their first-ever WAC tournament game with a flurry of baskets for an early 9-3 advantage. However, Seattle U responded, taking the lead during a 12-0 run that allowed them to take control just five minutes into the game. The Redhawks extended their lead to a first-half high of nine at 33-24 with 4:07 remaining. CBU didn't back down, though, and finished the half with a thunderous dunk by Gak that cut the deficit to just five points, taking momentum to the locker room.
Seattle's lead quickly evaporated as Reed Nottage drained a three-pointer followed by a Ty Rowell steal and layup, tying the game at 42-42 with 18:31 remaining thanks to a 7-0 run started by the previously mentioned Gak slam at the end of the first frame. The game was tied once again at 45-45 after a Rowell trey with 15 minutes left.Gorjok Gak with a statement dunk to end the half!#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/Sux0Cbdb4v
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) March 12, 2021
The Redhawks turned it on at that point, outscoring the Lancers 35-16 in an 11-minute span that sealed CBU's fate. Seattle led by as many as 22 with a of couple minutes to go.You can't give Ty Rowell any type of space. #LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/LBkfswyawC
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) March 12, 2021
"Thought we came out in the second half, tightened the screws," said CBU head coach Rick Croy. "Played with more purpose and then it got away from us again. They (Seattle) had some guys that stepped up and played really well."
Seattle was led by Nate Robinson and Darrion Trammell as they combined for 53 points on 18-of-36 shooting. Emeka Udenyi posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Tre Armstrong had a strong showing for the Lancers with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists. Nottage finished with 11 points and five boards.
"This game hurt," added Croy. "When you got a team that cares as much as our team cares, and you don't perform or compete the way that you know you are capable of, it stings. It obviously stings a lot more this time of the year."
The Lancers fall to 13-10 overall while the Redhawks improve to 12-10. Seattle U advances to the WAC semifinals to take on top-seeded Grand Canyon on Friday. CBU will now wait for a potential postseason opportunity.
"I thought it was really important coming into this game that we play with the better edge, sense of urgency, attention to detail, and that wasn't the case," said Croy. "This team has competed extremely well all year long, and this was not our best competitive performance. Credit to Seattle as I thought they competed and played well, and that's typically required in March."
CBU, in just its third season at the NCAA Division I level, has a total of 50 wins since 2018. The Lancers entered this season after posting an NCAA record with 37 wins in their first two years as a transitioning DI program. In addition to CBU's winning tradition, Croy secured his 300th career win back in December - making him one of the youngest coaches in college hoops with that accomplishment. Croy currently has 312 wins as a head coach.
3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) December 5, 2020
With today's win, @CoachCroy now holds a 300-91 overall record in his 13 seasons as a head coach! Longtime assistant and current Director of Basketball Operations, Doc Wellman, has been by his side for all 300!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/AJcJKTwu4m
Team Stats
SU
CBU
FG%
.484
.404
3FG%
.478
.316
FT%
.800
.783
RB
33
32
TO
9
15
STL
8
4
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
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