California Baptist University
15-15,8-11WAC
UT Arlington
18-13,13-7WAC
CBU Falls on Final Road Trip of the Season
3/7/2024 10:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team closed out its road schedule with a 71-57 loss to the UT Arlington Mavericks.
The loss sets up a critical Saturday for the Lancers as they aim to clinch a spot in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. CBU is still clinging onto the 8th and final spot for the tournament, sitting one game above the 9th-seeded Utah Tech Trailblazers. In order to clinch a berth in the tournament, the Lancers will need to defeat GCU on Saturday or hope for a Utah Tech loss at SFA.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Riding a five-game hot streak, the Mavericks came out firing on all cylinders and quickly put the Lancers in a 17-4 hole six minutes into the game. CBU would go down as many as 18 points before mounting a furious comeback. The Lancers would rattle off a 23-10 run to close the gap to five points in the waning seconds of the first half. The Mavericks would convert a triple before the buzzer sounded and would lead 37-29 going into the locker room.
CBU would come out of the locker room with momentum and quickly brought the game within a single possession before the first media timeout. A dunk by Kendal Coleman brought the score to 43-41 in favor of UTA, and Coleman converted another shot in the paint to knot the game at 43 apiece with 13:42 remaining. Following the tie, the Mavericks would put together a 12-2 run to put the game back in their favor and swing the momentum. The Mavericks would not relinquish that momentum and would ride it to the final score of 71-57.
TOUCHING the SKY! 👀🚀#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/qwSzbYEAXw
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) March 8, 2024
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
The backcourt of Blondeau Tchoukuiegno and Scotty Washington continues to be the offensive strong point for the Lancers, combining for 34 points in the game. Coleman collected another double-digit rebound game, with 11 that included five on the offensive glass.
The Lancers had one of their best showings of the season from the charity stripe, converting 21 of their 24 attempts, good enough for 88%. The 88% shooting was the best of the season (minimum ten attempts) for the Lancers and marked the fourth game this season. They have made at least 20 free throws.
NEXT: The Lancers will host Grand Canyon on Saturday, March 9, for a critical contest that will tip off at 5 PM.
