By: Ryley Collom, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications & Digital Media
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team achieved their highest seeding in program history following last week's action and will enter the 2025 Western Athletic Conference Tournament as the #3 seed in the field.
The third-place finish will set up a quarterfinal matchup with Tarleton on Thursday night, who finished as the sixth seed. The Lancers and the Texans split the regular season series, with each team defending their home court. In the most recent confrontation between the two programs, the Lancers dominated the Texans in Riverside 68-48 and would never surrender the lead during the 40-minute contest. Graduate forward Javonte Johnson was the star of the night in that matchup, scoring 19 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting from the perimeter. Johnson's perfect performance from the field was the most three made without a miss from a Lancer in the DI era and helped the Lancers wrap up their third-place seeding.
CBU has historically had the Texan's number, holding the series edge 6-2, with its only two losses coming last season. A key factor for the game to watch is the turnover department, as Tarleton is second in the NCAA in forcing turnovers and 11th in steals. CBU did a great job in the last game against the Texans, turning the ball over just 12 times while forcing 17. The Lancers have never faced the Texans in postseason action, and the game will mark the eighth postseason game for CBU since the program moved to DI.
CBU will be led by star guard Dominique Daniels Jr., who will be playing in his first WAC tournament game as a Lancer after missing the final 12 games of last season with a knee injury. Daniels Jr. led the conference in scoring at nearly 20 points per game and was named First Team All-WAC. The senior guard finished in the top 25 in the NCAA in point per game average and, despite missing three games, also finished in the top 100 in total points. Daniels Jr. scored over 20 points in 13 games of the 27 games he played this season and scored over 30 on two occasions. One such game was a season-high 36 points on 11-19 shooting against Utah Tech, and the other came on the road against UCF in non-conference action when he scored 33 points.
MATCHUP INFORMATION:
CBU vs Tarleton- WAC QUARTERFINALS
DATE/TIME: Mar. 13 @8:30 PM PT
LOCATION: Orleans Arena- Las Vegas, NV
WATCH:Â ESPN+
