California Baptist University
5-5,0-0WAC
San Diego State University
7-2,1-0Mountain West
CBU Gives #23 San Diego State All it Can Handle in Narrow Defeat on the Road
12/11/2024 11:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAN DIEGO, CA--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team gave the #23 San Diego State Aztecs all they could handle on Wednesday evening at Viejas Arena, narrowly falling to the Mountain West squad 81-76.
CBU's 75 points were the 5th most points scored at Viejas Arena in the past five years from a team other than the Aztecs and was one of the best offensive displays against the ranked squad in the season's early going. The narrow defeat evens CBU's record at 5-5 while the Aztecs continue to climb the NCAA rankings at 7-2 and continue their winning streak.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
The Lancers came out of the gates with confidence and held a steady lead in the early going of the ball game. The Aztecs never let the Lancers reach a lead over two possessions and would mount a 10-0 run to take a 28-21 with seven minutes remaining in the first half. The Aztec's lead would grow to as many as 12 in the opening frame, but CBU would nearly cut that in half in the waning minutes and wind up only down 40-33 heading into the locker room. The Lancers shot 50% in the first half against one of the top defenses in America, a defense ranked #1 in opposition field goal% heading into the matchup. Dominique Daniels Jr. was the leader as usual with 12 points on 4-6 shooting, and was followed closely by Kendal Coleman, who was also in double figures with ten.
Coleman connected on a triple right out of the second-half gates to cut the lead to four at 40-36, but that would be one of the few highlights for CBU over the next 12 minutes as the Aztecs would flex their offensive and defensive firepower with a major run to put the ranked squad up by 19 points with a touch over nine minutes to play. Head Coach Rick Croy would turn to his bench to find some offensive rhythm to turn the game around, and his team would execute a 17-7 run to get the Lancers right back in the ball game with 2:37 to play in regulation. Javonte Johnson would knock down a critical triple to further cut the lead to 77-73 and force SDSU Coach Brian Dutcher to regroup. The Aztecs would score on the ensuing possession to keep the CBU momentum at bay and would ultimately ride out the 81-75 score.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
As previously mentioned, the Aztecs entered the contest with one of the best defenses in the NCAA this season, holding its opposition to 64 points per game on 35% shooting from the floor. Tonight, the Lancers topped both of those figures with a gritty offensive performance by scoring 75 points on 45% shooting. The Lancer's 45% shooting was the highest percentage against the #23 Aztecs this season, and their 29 made field goals were also the most netted by an opponent on SDSU.
Daniels Jr. led the scoring charge as he has all season with 22 points and dished out six assists in 35 minutes of action. Daniels Jr.'s 22 points put him over the 2,000-point mark for his career, a testament to his potent offensive skill set. CBU got consistent production from multiple sources in the game, with eight players converting at least two field goals for the road team. CBU dominated the glass against the Aztecs, pulling in 17 offensive rebounds and winning the overall rebounding battle 31-23.
NEXT: The Lancers will continue their road stretch with a game at Middle Tennesee State on Monday, December 16, at 4:30 PM PT.
