RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball earned a signature win on Saturday night as they downed the Grand Canyon Lopes in convincing fashion 85-71 at Fowler Events Center.
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The win gives CBU a 5-4 record in Western Athletic Conference play, which moves them back into third place in the standings in a tie with Seattle U. The loss for GCU is their first since January 9, ending a six-game winning streak and settling them into second place in the standings at 7-2.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
The battle between these two inter-conference rivals was fierce from the get-go as they traded blows in the early minutes of the first period. The lead changed eight times in the first ten minutes alone of this game, with both teams having hot hands from the field. The momentum began to flip following the insertion of Tylen Riley off the bench, with the sophomore guard igniting a 9-0 run to give CBU a 35-29 lead. GCU chipped away at the minor deficit, but a 6-0 by Kendal Coleman flipped the energy back in CBU's favor, with the 4,000+ crowd on hand playing a significant part in that. The Lancers would head to the locker room with their highest first-half point total of the season, leading 47-41 over the Lopes through 20 minutes.
The blistering first-half pace was reflected on the stat sheet, with both teams shooting over 46% from the floor in the opening frame. Coleman and Martel Williams combined for 25 points to lead the way for CBU through 20 minutes of action.
CBU's first-half momentum spilled into the second half, with the Lancers scoring six straight out of the midway break to give them a 12-point lead over the Lopes. The Lancer defense, led by Javonte Johnson and Riley, was smothering in the second half, forcing a plethora of turnovers and frustrating the GCU sideline. The Lopes made several attempts to erase the double-digit deficit but never cracked single digits after the 14:26 mark. Riley and Dominique Daniels Jr. would drive home the victory with highlight-reel plays as the Lancers would finish off the Lopes 85-71 for a statement victory in conference play. Â
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Riley was the star of the show on Saturday night, scoring a career-high 25 points off the bench on 5-8 shooting. Riley's aggression in driving toward the rim led to a career-high 16 free-throw attempts, which are also the second most in the DI era for the Lancers. Riley converted 13 of those attempts, and his energy on defense forced multiple turnovers on the GCU ball handlers. Coleman also turned in an impressive performance with 19 points on 50% shooting and would do so in just 21 minutes of action.
CBU's defense was another key storyline in the victory, forcing 22 GCU turnovers and converting those into 27 points. Typically, GCU is the team forcing turnovers, as they were ranked in the top 15 in the country in steals and forced turnovers heading into the game, but CBU was able to flip the script tonight with relentless ball pressure and an opportunistic mindset. CBU also beat the Lopes at their own game at the free-throw line, making 11 more free throws than the Lopes did. GCU entered the contest as the 3rd best team in the Nation in free throws made and seventh in attempts but were outshot by CBU 28-23 on attempts and 23-12 on makes.
NEXT: The Lancers will hit the road for a solo road trip on Thursday, February 13, against UT Arlington.
