California Baptist University
13-12,6-5WAC
Utah Tech
6-19,2-8WAC
Season Best Performance from Daniels Jr. Leads CBU past UTU on Homecoming
2/16/2025 12:48:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team treated the nearly 4,000+ crowd on hand to a thriller on Saturday night as they downed the Utah Tech Trailblazers 86-83 for the Homecoming victory. The Lancers are now 5-1 in Homecoming games in the DI era.
CBU's win puts them in sole possession of third place in the Western Athletic Conference Standings following Seattle U's loss at Tarleton tonight. The Lancers are now 6-5 in WAC play and 13-12 overall, with five games remaining on the schedule before WAC Vegas.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
CBU came out firing from the opening tip, racking up a 16-4 lead that would eventually turn into the game's largest lead at 32-17 following a stepback triple from Dominique Daniels Jr. with 5:35 to play in the first half. Utah Tech would keep themselves in the game with a handful of timely buckets to prevent the game from getting out of hand. Beon Riley would hit a long two at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 45-34 as the two teams headed into the locker room. Both teams shot incredibly in the first half, with UTU shooting 61% and the Lancers shooting 55% from the floor through 20 minutes.
The Trailblazers kept chipping away at the Lancer lead as the game presumed and opened up the half on a 13-7 run to cut the advantage down to just five points before the first media timeout was signaled. As the game began to tilt in UTU's favor, the Lancers converted a trio of tough shots from Martel Williams and Daniels Jr. to push the lead back to eight points with 12:27 to play. Utah Tech refused to go away and would cut the CBU lead to one with 7:45 to play after converting back-to-back triples. The UTU comeback would continue to gain steam and would eventually result in the Trailblazers taking their first lead since the first possession of the game at 79-77 with 3:49 to play. The lead lasted all of 1:45 because Javonte Johnson would connect on a clutch triple from the corner to regain the lead for CBU.
Utah Tech would take the lead back on a pull-up jumper from Noa Gonzalves with under a minute to play, but that would be once again short-lived as Johnson would come up clutch again with a driving layup around multiple UTU defenders to convert what proved to be the go-ahead layup with 33-second remaining. The Trailblazers would turn the ball over on the ensuing possession after Tylen Riley dislodged the ball from the UTU ballhandler on his way to the basket, which would go off his arm out of bounds and be awarded to the Lancers. Williams would convert clutch free throws, and the CBU defense forced the final turnover with four seconds left to secure the 86-83 victory.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Daniels Jr. was the star of the night with a season-high 36-point explosion on 11-18 shooting from the floor. Daniels Jr. gave highlight reel play after highlight reel play all evening and came up big at the charity stripe also with a perfect 10-10 performance. Daniels Jr. would also show off his floor general skills with a game-high five assists, which would help him account for over 50% of CBU's total offensive output. Williams was also key for the Lancer offense, as he would chip in 15 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Riley, making his second consecutive start, stuffed the stat sheet with ten points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
The Trailblazers shot 60% from the floor despite the loss, while the Lancers countered with 52% shooting from the field. CBU's efficiency at the free-throw line would prove to be a defining factor in the victory, with the Lancers converting 17 of their 20 opportunities vs. 8-14 for UTU. CBU's success from the perimeter was likewise a key stat tonight as they would outscore the Trailblazers by 12 in that department on 11 made triples.
NEXT: The Lancers will have a full week off before hitting the road on Saturday, February 22, as they face Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona, for a 5 PM PT tip-off.
