California Baptist University
UT Arlington
The Lancers Begin the Back Half of their Conference Schedule with Games Against UTA and Utah Tech
2/6/2024 10:51:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team will look to rebound after a tight loss on Saturday night with a home contest against UT Arlington and a road game at Utah Tech this week.
GAME 1 vs. UTA:
The week will open with a home contest against the UT Arlington Mavericks at home. The Mavericks are coming off a successful road trip where they defeated both Southern Utah and Utah Tech to move their conference record to 6-5.
The Mavericks are in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference standings and are fifth in the WAC Resume Seeding. The Thursday matchup will be important for the Resume Seeding, as the Mavericks are 0.34 points ahead of the Lancers. A Lancer win is forecasted to bring in 0.34 points for CBU, which would likely help them jump the Mavericks for fifth place.
The matchup will be the second ever in the all-time series between the two teams and the first to ever happen in Riverside. The only other game between the Lancers and Mavericks occurred last season when CBU pulled out a 74-66 victory in Arlington.
The Mavericks are led by the trio of Shemar Wilson, Dajuan Gordon, and Phillip Russell. Russell is the Mavericks leading scorer at 15.5 points per game, which is fifth in the conference, and has scored 20 points in three of his ten games. Wilson and Gordon are the WAC's third and fourth-leading rebounders, averaging 16.3 per contest. Wilson is also one of the nation's best shot blockers, averaging over two per game, and is 19th in the country in that category.
GAME 2 at UTAH TECH:
The week will end on Saturday afternoon as the Lancers head to St George, Utah, to finish their season series with the Utah Tech Trailblazers. The Trailblazers played spoiler in early December when they pulled out the 72-69 victory over the Lancers in CBU's home conference opener. Utah Tech currently sits in a three-way tie for seventh place in the conference standings and is tied for ninth in the Resume Seeding Standings with Abilene Christian.
Historically, this will be the 23rd meeting between the two programs in a matchup that dates back to their time together in the PacWest. In the DI era, this will be just the second time the two teams will compete in Burns Arena after playing five of the last six in Riverside. The Lancers have split the DI matchups with the Trailblazers at 3-3 apiece.
Noa Gonsalves is Utah Tech's leading scorer, averages 12 points per contest, and is the WAC's third-leading three-point shooter. The Trailblazers have two other double-digit scorers in Beon Riley and Tanner Christensen.
CBU AT A GLANCE:
The Lancers are 13-8 and 6-4 overall, placing them in third in the conference standings and sixth in the WAC Resume Standings. CBU is coming off a 61-60 loss to Seattle U at home, which ended a five-game conference win streak.
Dominique Daniels Jr. is now the leading scorer in the WAC after putting up his seventh 25+ point game this year in the loss to Seattle U. Daniels Jr. averages 19.24 points per game which also places him in the top 50 in the nation in scoring.
CBU's rebounding and defense continue to be the hallmark of the team's success, ranking in the top 40 in both categories in the nation. Defensively, the Lancers are 23rd best scoring defense in the country and have yet to give up an 80-point game this season. CBU, on average, only gives up 64.3 points per game, which is also the best mark in the WAC. On the glass, CBU has the two best rebounders in the conference, Hunter Goodrick and YVan Ouedraogo, who average a combined 18.1 per contest. The duo is also the second-best in the nation in total rebounding behind Aboubacar and Lassina Traore of Long Beach State.
As a team, the Lancers pull in nearly 13 offensive rebounds per game and outrebound their opposition by six rebounds, placing them in the top 40 in the country.
MATCH INFORMATION:
Game 1:
Opponent: UT Arlington
Date and Time: Saturday, February 8 at 7 PM
Location: Riverside, CA- Dale E. & Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: FOX AM 1350
Tickets: Here
Game 2:
Opponent: Utah Tech
Date and Time: Saturday, February 10 at 2 PM PT
Location: St. George, UT- Burns Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: FOX AM 1350
