California Baptist University
1-0,0-0WAC
University of the Incarnate Word
0-1,0-0Southland
CBU Overcomes 17-Point Deficit For Opening Night Victory
11/4/2024 11:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team opened the 2024-25 season with a comeback victory over the University of the Incarnate Word on Monday night in front of 3,000+ fans.
The Lancers trailed by as many as 17 in the first half before storming back in the second half and outscoring the Cardinals by 14 to climb the 83-78 victory. CBU is 5-2 in the DI era in its home openers and begins the new campaign 1-0.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Both offenses were aggressive, with 33 combined points ahead of the first media timeout. Davion Bailey of Incarnate Word, in particular, found the hot hand dropping 24 in the first half alone for the Cardinals. UIW could not seem to miss in the opening 20 minutes, converting 60% of its field goals in the first half and building a lead as large as 17 at 39-22. The Lancers would gain a little momentum to finish the frame, cutting the lead to seven and then ultimately trailed by nine at the halftime buzzer, 43-34.
The second half was all Lancers from the jump as Kendal Coleman would begin the rally with a quick six points off an and-1 opportunity and a triple. CBU's defense stepped up in the early portion of the half, forcing some timely turnovers that led to multiple fastbreak opportunities for the home team. Tylen Riley provided a spark on defense off the bench, forcing a pair of steals and giving CBU multiple opportunities in the transition to get the crowd into it.
CBU would take its first lead of the ball game since it was 6-5 at the 14:20 mark when Javonte Johnson intercepted a poor pass from Incarnate Word and converted the layup in transition. UIW would fend off the CBU momentum for a moment with a 7-0 run to take a two-possession lead, but that would be their last lead of the night. The Lancers would lead by as many as seven down the stretch of the game as all the energy shifted toward the home squad. Dominique Daniels Jr. would put the dagger in Incarnate Word with a nifty drive to the bucket that would give CBU the crippling 79-73 lead with 56 seconds remaining. The Lancers would ride out the game and finish with an 83-78 victory.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Multiple Lancers impacted the victory, but the most eye-popping stat of the night was CBU's dominance in the paint. The Lancers outscored Incarnate Word 50-18 in that department, led by Coleman and Aj Braun, who each had 17 in the ball game. Braun, in his CBU debut, also hauled in five rebounds and shot seven for 11 from the floor after leading the NCAA in FG% last year at Wright State.
Daniels Jr. scored 16 points in his return back from a knee injury and had a game-high six assists. Riley and Stevenson provided excellent energy off the pine tonight with a combined 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists. CBU also dominated in the fastbreak opportunities, scoring 16 in transition compared to just two for the visiting team.
NEXT: The Lancers will remain home to take on the Kennesaw State Owls on Saturday, November 9, at 5 PM.
