Tuesday, November 25
Palm Springs, CA
3:30 PM
California Baptist University
6-0,0-0WAC
76
vs
61
University of San Diego
3-3,0-0WCC
1
2
F
San Diego
39
22
61
California Baptist
40
36
76
Photo by: Matt Horrocks
Second Half Run Lifts CBU to Milestone Start
11/25/2025 6:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PALM DESERT, CA --- It didn't come easy, but the Lancers got the job done on Tuesday, as they took down San Diego inside the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert. The win marks a milestone for the Lancers, as the 76-61 final clinches the first 6-0 start in CBU's eight-year Division I era.
To achieve the milestone victory, CBU had to lean on new names, as the Lancers placed two new faces into the starting lineup due to injuries.
Freshman Jordan Muller was one of the new faces in the lineup, as he chose the Acrisure Series to etch his name in the minds of the CBU faithful. Muller played 39 minutes in his first collegiate start, and he totaled a game-high 22 points on 6-of-11 from the field.
"(His teammates) see that in practice, his work ethic, his attitude," said head coach Rick Croy on Muller. "From the day he showed up, he's been all about winning, and so to see him come through for his boys like that today was big time."
Another name making an impact for the depleted Lancers was guard Jalen Dollar. Dollar played a career-high 18 minutes and paired it with a career-high nine points on 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
Croy spoke about Dollar, adding, "Jalen was huge. That's another example of a guy that lives in the gym. He's about the right stuff all the time, and that's hard to do. There was no question he was going to be ready to go today."
It was a narrow affair during the first half on Tuesday, as CBU saw its seven-point lead diminish to one point at the intermission. The Lancers shot 45 percent from the field in the opening half and were the beneficiaries of six opening-half triples.
The Toreros responded out of the break with a 10-0 run, giving them their largest lead of the night at nine. But unphased were the Lancers, as they countered USD's run with a 17-2 run of their own.
Stepping up in the second half was senior Martel Williams, as he dropped 18 points while never leaving the floor. Williams went a perfect 5-for-5 at the charity stripe and racked up two steals in the closing half.
Williams ended the night with 20 points.
Tuesday's visit to Palm Desert marked CBU's second appearance in the Acrisure Series. The Lancers also appeared in the tournament in 2024, finishing 1-1 in the desert.
CBU will not continue in Palm Desert, as they will head north for their next contest. The Lancers will be in Corvallis on Saturday to take on Oregon State, marking the start of five consecutive games in the Pacific Northwest.
On the upcoming road trip, Croy noted, "They are going to be tough games, but we scheduled them for a reason. We felt like we had a good ball club, and now we get to go prove it."
After their visit to Corvallis, the Lancers will travel to Boulder to take on Colorado. The trip then features two games in Salt Lake City against BYU and Utah. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
To achieve the milestone victory, CBU had to lean on new names, as the Lancers placed two new faces into the starting lineup due to injuries.
Freshman Jordan Muller was one of the new faces in the lineup, as he chose the Acrisure Series to etch his name in the minds of the CBU faithful. Muller played 39 minutes in his first collegiate start, and he totaled a game-high 22 points on 6-of-11 from the field.
"(His teammates) see that in practice, his work ethic, his attitude," said head coach Rick Croy on Muller. "From the day he showed up, he's been all about winning, and so to see him come through for his boys like that today was big time."
Another name making an impact for the depleted Lancers was guard Jalen Dollar. Dollar played a career-high 18 minutes and paired it with a career-high nine points on 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
Croy spoke about Dollar, adding, "Jalen was huge. That's another example of a guy that lives in the gym. He's about the right stuff all the time, and that's hard to do. There was no question he was going to be ready to go today."
It was a narrow affair during the first half on Tuesday, as CBU saw its seven-point lead diminish to one point at the intermission. The Lancers shot 45 percent from the field in the opening half and were the beneficiaries of six opening-half triples.
The Toreros responded out of the break with a 10-0 run, giving them their largest lead of the night at nine. But unphased were the Lancers, as they countered USD's run with a 17-2 run of their own.
Stepping up in the second half was senior Martel Williams, as he dropped 18 points while never leaving the floor. Williams went a perfect 5-for-5 at the charity stripe and racked up two steals in the closing half.
Williams ended the night with 20 points.
Tuesday's visit to Palm Desert marked CBU's second appearance in the Acrisure Series. The Lancers also appeared in the tournament in 2024, finishing 1-1 in the desert.
CBU will not continue in Palm Desert, as they will head north for their next contest. The Lancers will be in Corvallis on Saturday to take on Oregon State, marking the start of five consecutive games in the Pacific Northwest.
On the upcoming road trip, Croy noted, "They are going to be tough games, but we scheduled them for a reason. We felt like we had a good ball club, and now we get to go prove it."
After their visit to Corvallis, the Lancers will travel to Boulder to take on Colorado. The trip then features two games in Salt Lake City against BYU and Utah. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Team Stats
SD
CBU
FG%
.463
.451
3FG%
.136
.381
FT%
.615
.786
RB
21
42
TO
12
17
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
7
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballCBU Men's Basketball VS Grambling | Game Highlights
Saturday, November 22
CBU Men's Basketball VS UC Riverside | Game Highlights
Wednesday, November 19
CBU Men's Basketball VS Western Illinois | Game Highlights
Saturday, November 15
CBU Men's Basketball VS UC Irvine | Game Highlights
Saturday, November 08
