California Baptist University
Vanguard University (Calif.)
MBB Preview: CBU Hosts Vanguard in Holiday Weekend Clash
11/22/2023 11:42:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team will look to push its winning streak to three as they welcome in the Vanguard Lions on Saturday.
The Lancers finished 2-1 in The Joust tournament in Riverside, defeating St Thomas and Cal Poly and losing on a buzzer-beater to the Vikings of Portland State. The current record for CBU is 4-1, the second-best start of the DI era for the Lancers after beginning 5-0 in 2021.
The Lancers pull away late from the Tommies led by a 20-piece from Blondeau. 😮💨🏀#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/rE7WbcyLjc
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) November 19, 2023
The opponent on hand for the Lancers is Vanguard, a team that CBU has an extensive history with dating all the way back to 1999. The two teams were in-state foes during the NAIA era for the Lancers, and this matchup will be the 26th time these two programs have competed against one another. The Lancers hold the series advantage 19-6, with the most recent contest coming in 2021 when CBU defeated the Lions 78-65. That matchup was the first and only time the two teams had played since CBU made the jump to DI in 2018.
The Lions are 3-1 to start their season as they enter their final season in the NAIA and will make the leap to DII beginning in 2024-25. Vanguard has recorded wins over Northwest College, Caltech, and, most notably, the #1 ranked team in the NAIA College of Idaho. The win over the College of Idaho ended a 38-game winning streak for the Coyotes as the Lions won convincingly 94-67. The Lions are averaging 96.8 points per game, the third-best in the NAIA, and are led by four players averaging double-figures on the season.
The Lancers, meanwhile, enter the game as the best team in the WAC in terms of getting to the free-throw line and taking care of the basketball. The Lancers are averaging just a hair over ten turnovers per game to begin the season and have gotten to the line 25.6 times per game, ranking them 38th in the nation in that category.
Offensively, the Lancers have been led by Dominique Daniels Jr., who is averaging 18.6 points per game and has been a lethal threat from behind the arc, shooting 45.9% on 3.4 made per game. Daniel Jr. is 17th in the nation in threes made and is in the top 50 in attempts and percentage. Daniels won The Joust Tournament MVP after a 26-point outing against Cal Poly and has had three 20-point games to begin the campaign.
The Lancers tame the Tigers behind a combined 41 points from Dom and Brantly!! 😤🏀#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/wCQKri9JNT
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) November 11, 2023
Daniels is one of many sources of offense for CBU, as Grand Canyon transfer Yvan Ouedraogo has made his presence felt in his first season with CBU. Ouedraogo has already reset his career-high three times this season, including a 17-point, 13-rebound performance over Cal Poly. Yvan was named to the All-Tournament team after leading the field in rebounding and averaging 13 points per game as well. The CBU bench has also been a bright spot, with Brantly Stevenson and Blondeau Tchoukuiegno averaging double-figures coming off the pine. Tchoukuiegno scored 20 points off the bench in a win over St. Thomas, the single-best output of his Lancer career, while Stevenson has averaged just under 11 points per game in his sixth-man role for CBU.
🏆All-Tournament🏆
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) November 20, 2023
Congratulations to Yvan and Dom for making The Joust All-Tournament squad. Well-Deserved!
Yvan: 14ppg 10 rpg 65% FG
Dom (MVP): 15 ppg 6 3 PM Tournament-High 26 points vs. Cal Poly#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/GKOHUfVluP
MATCH INFORMATION:
Opponent: Vanguard
Date and Time: Saturday, November 25- 5 PM
Location: Riverside, CA
Watch: ESPN+
Tickets Here
