California Baptist University
11-8,5-1WAC
Abilene Christian University
13-5,4-1WAC
CBU Drops First Conference Game to ACU at Home
1/15/2026 2:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University women's basketball team dropped its first game of the conference schedule on Thursday afternoon, falling 70-58 to the Abilene Christian Wildcats.
The Lancers are still atop the Western Athletic Conference standings at 5-1 with Abilene Christian and Southern Utah trailing close behind. ACU improves to 4-1 in the conference standings and is a league-best 13-5 overall.
The Lancers knocked down the first basket of the game on their first possession, but the Wildcats would quickly respond with an 8-0 run to quiet the raucous crowd and put them ahead. The Wildcats would take that lead and never relinquish it, opening up as many as seven points in the opening frame.
ACU broke the game open in the second period behind another 8-0 run that would push the lead to 13 and they would take that momentum into the locker room, leading 43-25. CBU's shooting woes continued into the second half as the Wildcats' defense forced them into contested shots. The Lancers' defense would match the Wildcats' intensity and force ACU to shoot 33% from the floor, as CBU would outscore ACU 14-13 in the frame.
In the fourth quarter, the Lancers mounted a rally after trailing by 16 points to begin the quarter. CBU would begin the game on an 8-0 run to force ACU to burn an early timeout and slash the lead down to single digits. ACU would push the lead back over double figures, but the Lancers would again rally and cut the lead down to four with 1:11 remaining in the period. ACU would silence the comeback with a layup on the ensuing possession and would salt the game away at the free-throw line to take the victory 70-58.
Lauren Olsen would finish the game as CBU's leading scorer with 19 points on nearly 50% shooting from the floor, while Emma Johansson would net 14 points on seven made field goals to pair with six blocks and six rebounds. Sofia Alonso gave the Lancers a nice spark off the bench with a season-high six points in 14 minutes.
NEXT: The Lancers will hit the road next week as they head back to Utah to take on Utah Tech and Utah Valley.
