California Baptist University
7-7,0-0WAC
UC Irvine
11-2,1-0Big West
CBU Ends Non-Conference Action Against UC Irvine on Monday Night
12/31/2024 12:39:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team came up short on Monday night as they closed non-conference play against the UC Irvine anteaters in the Fowler Events Center by a score of 71-63.
UCI came into the match as the fifth-ranked mid-major team, according to CollegeInsider, and was a top 60 team in the NET rankings. The Lancers close non-conference action at an even 7-7 record after scheduling one of its toughest non-conference slates in recent memory. The Lancers finished with a home record of 5-3 with wins over Kennesaw State, Fresno State, and Eastern Washington and good showings against top-tier competition such as #23 San Diego State and SMU.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
The Lancers came out hot, quickly building a double-digit lead on the Anteaters at 16-6. Both defenses were impressive in the first half, as they forced a healthy amount of turnovers and contested shots through the first 20 minutes of action. UCI's offense found its footing toward the back end of the first half as they scaled back the Lancer lead to only four heading into halftime. CBU outshot the Anteaters by a healthy margin in the first half, but 12 Lancer turnovers were the primary reason UCI was able to hang around and keep the score close at halftime.
The Anteaters, after trailing the entirety of the first half, came out of the second-half locker room with renewed energy and mounted a 10-5 run to take its first lead of the ball game at 35-34. Adam Moussa did his best to hold off the UCI second-half assault with a barrage of triples to help the Lancers remain in position to win the game. Moussa connected on four of his six three-point attempts in the second half and scored 16 total points in the half for the Lancers. The Anteaters would mount their final push under five minutes, scoring 14 of the next 16 points to take control of the momentum and would ultimately close out the game 71-63.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Moussa and Dominique Daniels Jr. split the scoring load tonight, both scoring 19 points to lead the way for CBU. For Moussa, it was a season-high in points and a new career-high in made threes after hitting five of them on seven attempts. Kendal Coleman was a force on the glass once again, hauling in 12 rebounds in 31 minutes of action to add to his season average of 8.7 rebounds per game, which is second-best in the Western Athletic Conference.
NEXT: The Lancers will open up conference play on Saturday, January 4, as they host the Seattle U Redhawks. The game will mark the final one of The Holiday Series presented by Stater Bros. Markets.
Stater Bros. Holiday Series:
Sports fans in the Inland Empire can visit select Stater Bros. Markets locations located in Riverside, CA, to pick up special discount ticket vouchers containing a QR code to access the offer for five different Holiday Series home games. The regular price for individual tickets is $10 for each game, but with the discount voucher, tickets are only $5 each. A special package deal for admission to all five games in the series is also available for $21 for general admission seating and $36 for reserved seating.
5-GAME TICKET PACKAGES CAN BE PURCHASED HERE: www.cbulancers.com/holiday
