By: Ryley Collom, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications & Digital Media
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team continues non-conference play this week as they play host to a pair of Big Sky teams in Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington.
The Lancers are 3-1 in the early going of the season, posting wins over Incarnate Word, Kennesaw State, and Long Islands at home and a one-point loss to crosstown rival UC Riverside. The game against Northern Colorado will be a part of a doubleheader with women's basketball on Wednesday, November 20, and Eastern Washington will be in town for a 5 PM game on Saturday, November 23.
This will be the second matchup with the Bears in program history for the Lancers, besting them in 2021 by a score of 74-70. The Northern Colorado Bears are 3-2 in the early going, with wins over Colorado College, Colorado Christian, and South Dakota State. The Bear's two losses have come against a pair of 2024 tournament teams in Colorado and Washington State. The Bears pushed the Buffaloes to the brink in Boulder on November 8, losing 88-90 in a double overtime thriller with their in-state rival. Forward Isaiah Hawthorne scored 19 in the loss, and four other Bears ended in double-figures.
Northern Colorado was picked third in the Big Sky preseason poll and is being led by Hawthorne and Langston Reynolds, who are both averaging 16.2 points per game. The Bears have been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country through five games, ranking 18th in makes with 11.6 and 23rd in attempts with 31.2 shots per contest coming from behind the arc.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Lancers and Eagles. The Eagles have a winning tradition over the past decade, winning at least 20 games in five of the last ten seasons. The Eagles have also faced an early challenging non-conference schedule with games against Missouri, Washington State, and Colorado on the docket. The Eagles are 1-3, with its lone win coming against CBU's in-conference foe, Seattle U. EWU will face the Washington State Cougars before making the trip to Riverside. Eastern Washington has been a top-25 team in steals in the early going and has forced turnovers at a top 70 rate, which will be a key number for the Lancers, who are the 2nd best team in the nation at limiting turnovers, averaging just 7.5 per game.
CBU is being led by star guard Dominique Daniels Jr., who is averaging over 20 points per contest, fueled by a season-high 27 points in the win over Long Island on Friday. Martel Williams, the Utah State Eastern transfer, has been a nice compliment to Daniels Jr. in the backcourt, averaging 13.8 points per game and providing numerous highlight-reel plays in the early going. CBU's offense has been the story in its 3-1 start, with the team averaging 82.3 points per game. The Lancers only surpassed the 82-point mark three times all of last season and have now done it in all three of its victories.
GAME INFORMATION:
CBU vs Northern Colorado:
DATE/TIME: Nov. 20 @7:30PM PT
LOCATION: Fowler Events Center- Riverside, CA
WATCH: ESPN+
CBU vs. Eastern Washington:
DATE/TIME: Nov. 23 @5PM PT
LOCATION: Fowler Events Center- Riverside, CA
WATCH: ESPN+
TICKETS:Â HERE
