California Baptist University
17-16,7-10WAC
#1 Sam Houston
25-6,14-4WAC
The Season Ends in WAC Quarterfinals for Men's Basketball
3/9/2023 4:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LAS VEGAS--- California Baptist University battled the top-seeded Sam Houston Bearkats for 40 minutes but could not overcome an early deficit and fell 64-51 in the WAC quarterfinals.
After a tight start, the Bearcats went on a 19-0 run in the middle of the first half to extend their lead to 26-8. Taran Armstrong ended the CBU drought with a deep triple, and they would close the gap to 12 with under minutes to play. Sam Houston converted a layup before the buzzer sounded as they led 33-17 at the half.
CBU fell behind by as many as 21 in the game and battled back to get the score within seven with under five minutes to play. The Lancers did an excellent job of limiting WAC player of the year Qua Grant, who finished 2-13 for nine points but could not contain Donte Powers, who finished with 21.
Taran Armstrong led the team with ten points, six rebounds, and four assists in 36 minutes.
SEASON RECAP:
CBU finishes their season 17-16 overall with an 8-10 conference record. The Lancers have finished above .500 every season since they transitioned into division-1 and now hold an 85-67 overall D-1 record.
The Lancers won their first-ever game over a power-5 opponent when they defeated the University of Washington in Seattle on November 17th. CBU also pulled out big conference wins over Grand Canyon, Seattle U, and Tarleton State at home, with the latter two being by 20+ points.
Sophomore guard Taran Armstrong was named to the All-WAC second team after leading the team in scoring and the conference in assists. Armstrong totaled four 20-point games this season, including a 25 outing against Southern Utah. Head coach Rick Croy passed Jerry King to become the winningest coach in the program's history and now has 217 total wins at the helm of CBU.
