RIVERSIDE --- Lancer Nation was in full force for Saturday's Homecoming game against The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, as four Lancers finished in double figures to take down the Vaqueros, 80-72.
"This crowd was incredible tonight," said head coach Rick Croy.
The Lancers did not disappoint the 4,600 plus Lancer fans in the building, exploding in the second half for 46 points to secure the eight-point victory. The win gave Coach Croy win No. 196 while at the helm of the program, moving up to second all-time in the program's history.
Taran Armstrong paced the Lancers on the night, recording a team-high 18 points and nine assists in his 36 minutes of action. Tre Armstrong and Ty Rowell both finished with 16 points each, while Dan Akin recorded a career-high 17 rebounds and 12 points for his 11th double-double of the season.
The first half was a back and forth battle, as both teams saw the score tied five times in the final eight minutes. CBU and UTRGV went into the break all tied up at 34-34.
"Our energy was not great in the first half," said Croy. "We were kind of caught off guard by some stuff we shouldn't be caught off guard by. We had to go into halftime and really challenge each other and say, 'Are we going to fight for stops in the second half or just trade baskets?' We did a much better job guarding for at least a 12-13 minute stretch in the second half. We got a lot of stops, and we were able to turn those into some transition, and guys made big plays."
The Lancers wasted no time coming out of the break, as CBU used a 10-0 run to take the first double-digit lead of the night. Taran Armstrong capped off the 10-straight unanswered points with a step-back three to beat the shot clock buzzer.
"Big focus for us was just winning the first media," said Taran Armstrong. "That's the most important thing after halftime because it gives the other team a chance to reset if you're ahead. It can do the same for you, but winning that first media is really important, and we put a massive emphasis on that, that was made on the defensive end."
CBU didn't slow down from there, as Tre Armstrong extended the Lancer's lead to 15, 57-42, after another big three.
Akin and Armstrong put the exclamation point on the night after a Vaqueros' turnover led to a fast-break alley-oop that brought the house down.
"We almost have everybody back," said Croy. "It will be good to get Reed Nottage back. Right now with our team, you go on down the line; everybody is improving."
The Lancers are now 14-11 on the season and 4-8 in the Western Athletic Conference.
UP NEXT:
The Lancers will close out their three-game homestand with a rematch against Grand Canyon on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m.
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.
