California Baptist University
Grand Canyon University
CBU Closes Out Regular Season Against GCU; Clinches Berth in WAC Vegas
3/10/2024 12:24:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team rounded out its regular season with a 68-47 loss to the Grand Canyon Lopes on Senior Night. The loss is bittersweet as the Lancers clinched a spot in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament for the fourth straight season via a Utah Tech loss at SFA in the early afternoon.
CBU closes the regular season 15-16, with an 8-12 mark in conference play. The Lancers also close out their home schedule with 11 wins, marking the fifth-straight seaosn they have topped double-digit home wins in the DI era.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Senior Day festivities began the evening as the Lancers honored Malik Wade, Yvan Ouedraogo, Blondeau Tchoukuiegno, and Hunter Goodrick. With a sellout crowd on hand, the Lancers had momentum out of the gate, keeping pace with the top-seeded Lopes. A three-point shot by Brantly Stevenson and a fastbreak layup from Kendal Coleman gave CBU a 17-16 lead with 10:40 to play.
The offense dried up for CBU, following the brief lead as the Lopes would rattle off 16 unanswered points over the ensuing four minutes of action. Tchoukuiegno's free throws would finally break the run, but the Lopes would finish the half on a 9-2 run to go up 20 heading into the locker room.
The Lopes would not relent to open the second half, scoring the first eight points of the period. CBU would push out an 8-2 run, but the momentum was short-lived as the Lopes grabbed their largest lead at 64-33. CBU would show no quit and close out the game on a 14-4 run but would ultimately fall 68-47.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Despite the loss, the Lancers put on a showcase on the glass. CBU outrebounded Grand Canyon 49-28, including a staggering 23-4 advantage on the offensive glass. A large reason for the disparity was a season-high 18 rebounds from Ouedraogo against his former club. The graduate forward hauled in seven offensive rebounds and 11 on the defensive glass, coming up short by one rebound to his career-high 19 rebounds, which he had when he was at Nebraska.
Ouedraogo was one of three Lancers in double figures, along with Stevenson and Tchoukuiegno. Stevenson paced the trio with 14 points on four made triples, while Tchoukueigno was close behind with 13 points.
NEXT: The WAC Tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 13, as the Lancers will kick off the tournament with a match-up against Utah Valley at 6 PM PT at the Orleans Arena.
