California Baptist University
8-6,1-2WAC
Utah Valley University
7-7,2-1WAC
The Lancers Open 2024 on the Road in Orem
1/4/2024 7:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OREM--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team opened 2024 with a road trip to Utah Valley on Thursday evening as the Western Athletic Conference resumed its conference schedule.
The Lancers would fall to the Wolverines 65-58, dropping them to 1-2 in conference play and 8-6 on the season.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
The Lancers had a slow offensive start to the ballgame, shooting only 27% from the floor in the first 20 minutes of play. The Wolverines jumped out to an 8-0 lead to begin the game and would hold the lead throughout the entirety of the first half. CBU would hold the Wolverines without a single make from the perimeter but still trailed 33-23 going into halftime.
The Lancers came out in the second half with a quick 7-0 run to pull within three, capped off by a Hunter Goodrick second-chance bucket to force a Wolverine timeout. Brantly Stevenson would give the Lancers their first lead of the game not one minute later on a deep triple at 38-37 as CBU was in the midst of a 15-4 run to begin the second half.
The Wolverines took back control of the game with a 14-3 run of their own to take a 58-49 lead with under five minutes to play. That control would hold as the Wolverines would take the victory 65-58 to protect the home-court advantage. CBU shot much better in the second half at 41% from the field and from the perimeter at 40%, but it was not enough to overcome 18 made free throws by the Wolverines in the second half on 22 attempts.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
The Lancers did an excellent job defending the perimeter in the game, not allowing the Wolverines to connect on a single one of their attempts. The perimeter defense allowed the Lancers to hold a 24-0 advantage from the perimeter in the game. The CBU defense also forced 13 turnovers on the night, marking the fourth game in a row they have forced double-digit turnovers.
Dominique Daniels Jr. led the team in scoring with 20, which included four made triples. Brantly Stevenson had a bounce-back performance after leaving the previous game due to injury and contributed 13 points on three made triples.
NEXT: The Lancers will remain on the road to play the Seattle U Redhawks on Saturday, January 6 at 3 PM PT.
