California Baptist University
13-13,6-6WAC
Grand Canyon University
20-6,10-2WAC
CBU Nearly Overcomes 20-point Deficit in Close Loss at GCU
2/23/2025 1:10:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PHOENIX, AZ--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team concluded its regular season series with the Grand Canyon Lopes on Saturday night, with the Lopes evening the series 1-1 with a 66-64 victory in Phoenix.
The Lancers were without the services of Dominique Daniels Jr., the conference's leading scorer, tonight after he was listed as day-to-day. GCU was likewise without its leading scorer, as Tyon Grant-Foster would also be sidelined for the matchup. CBU trailed by as many as 19 in the game but clawed their way back in the second half and nearly pulled off the miraculous comeback but would fall short, dropping their conference record back to .500 at 6-6 and their overall record at 13-13. Despite the loss, the Lancers continue to hold onto the third seed in the Western Athletic Conference as they hold to the head-to-head matchup over Abilene Christian, who is also 6-6.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Grand Canyon, energized by their Homecoming crowd, came out of the gates on fire, converting field goals on their first six possessions to put the Lancers in an early hole. CBU was initially able to hang in the game, but a GCU flurry toward the back end of the first half pushed all the momentum into the home team's favor. CBU cut the lead to seven with 2:41 to play in the first half, but the Lopes would score on their next three possessions to take a 41-30 lead into the locker rooms.
The beginning portion of the second half was more of the same from the Lopes as they would wind up building up their largest lead at 61-41 with 10:35 remaining. However, with their backs against the wall in a hostile environment, the Lancers responded in a big way to get themselves back in the game. CBU would close the half on a 23-5 run, allowing GCU to make two field goals in the final 10:35 of action. The run began on the defensive end, with CBU forcing multiple GCU turnovers and converting those into transition points. The Lancers got the deficit to single digits with 5:47 to play off a second-chance rebound by Kendal Coleman.
GCU would score one of its two field goals with 4:01 remaining to give themselves a 66-59 cushion, but Tylen Riley would score twice down the stretch to make it a one-score game with 0:42 seconds remaining. Needing a stop, CBU turned to Riley, who would force GCU's Ray Harrison into a tough shot with 17 seconds, and the Lancers would secure the rebound and set up for one final shot. Riley would get a decent look at a mid-range jump shot, but it would clang off the rim, and the Lopes would survive by a score of 66-64.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Coleman had a huge game for the Lancers in the absence of Daniels Jr., leading all scorers with 24 points on nine made field goals. Coleman also connected on four of his seven three-point attempts and hauled in seven rebounds. Martel Williams had an equally impressive game as Coleman's running mate, scoring 19 points on 60% shooting in 35 minutes of action. The numbers across the board were nearly identical between CBU and GCU however, the Lopes would win the rebounding battle by a decent margin at 33-25, and the Lancers would outscore the Lopes from the perimeter and outshot them from the free-throw line.
NEXT: CBU will continue its three-game conference road trip with a Thursday night game in Seattle to face the Redhawks.
