California Baptist University
16-14,6-11WAC
Chicago State
7-23,3-14WAC
Lancers Close Out Final Home Game Victorious
3/2/2022 11:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE --- California Baptist University closed out its final game in the CBU Events Center on a high note Wednesday night, as the Lancers took down the Cougars of Chicago State, 62-53.
With it being the final home game of the regular season, the Lancers honored Tobin Kund, Dan Akin, Elijah Thomas, and Ty Rowell before the games as the seniors on the team.
"It is an emotional night because you spend so much time together," said head coach Rick Croy. "You've seen these guys grow whether they've been with you for five years, two years, or even a year. The volume of time that we spend together is really high. We put in a lot of work together. You're with each other in the ups and downs. You see each other in tough moments. You're going all in. That's the goal is to get guys to go all in. We always say, 'nothing vested, nothing hurts,' and if you don't invest, you can stay on the fringe, and you never have to invest emotionally, and nothing hurts. That's not our group. In other ways, it did feel a little bit different tonight just because I feel like we have so much left in us."
The win improves the Lancers to 16-14 on the season and 6-11 in the Western Athletic Conference, while the Cougars fall to 7-23 on the year and 3-14 in the WAC. The Lancers finish their home slate at 14-5 in front of the Lancer faithful.
Chicago State entered Wednesday's game with momentum on its side, as the Cougars pulled off the recent upset over NM State on Feb. 26 with a 61-59 victory.
California Baptist kept Chicago State from the driver seat for most of the night, as the Lancers held the lead for nearly 37 minutes. The lead changed hands three times, and the score was tied twice in the opening minutes before the Lancers took control.
Taran Armstrong helped the Lancers remain in control after a nifty pass setup Dan Akin for the dunk inside.
Forever on a loop 🔂#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/cVBduvs3Fk
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) March 3, 2022
The dunk by Akin capped off an 11-2 Lancer run.
CBU would go into the break with a six-point advantage, 31-25.
The Lancers started to find their rhythm in the second half as the threes started to pour in for the home team.
Reed Nottage for the threeeee 🎙#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/8HUeCyHK4J
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) March 3, 2022
CBU finished the second half knocking down six threes and growing its lead to as much as 16 points.
Rowell closed out his senior night, pacing the Lancers with 15 points, going 5-10 from the field and 4-8 from beyond the arc. Tre Armstrong ended his night with 12 points and six rebounds, while brother Taran Armstrong recorded 11 points, eight assists, and four rebounds for his line.
"Thank you for everybody that came out tonight and the support all season long," said Croy. "It really has been tremendous. We watch a lot of film both in conference and out of conference play, and there are few crowds in SoCal, and few programs get the kind of support our guys do. Thank you."
UP NEXT:
The Lancers will finish their regular season on the road, as the team will travel to Beaumont, Texas, to face Lamar on Saturday, March 5, at 12 p.m. (PST).
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.
