Friday, March 13
Las Vegas, NV
8:30 PM
California Baptist University
24-8,13-5WAC
86
vs
72
Utah Tech
19-15,11-7WAC
1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
Utah Tech
36
36
72
California Baptist
35
51
86
Photo by: Matt Horrocks
Daniels Jr. Drops 41, Lifting CBU to First WAC Championship Game Appearance
3/13/2026 11:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LAS VEGAS, NV --- California Baptist is one win away from a berth in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament for the first time in program history, following an 86-72 win against Utah Tech. CBU produced a dominating second half, backed by Dominique Daniels Jr.'s second 40-point performance of the season.
Daniels Jr. dropped 41 on Friday, the most regulation points in CBU Division I history. He ended the night three points shy of matching the WAC Tournament single-game record. His dominating performance also puts him nine points shy of the most points in a single season in CBU history.
The Lancers trailed at halftime of Friday's game, 36-35, ending a three-game streak that saw CBU never trail. Head coach Rick Croy's team answered with a scorching start to the second half as the Lancers posted a 10-2 run to take a seven-point lead.
"I thought in the first half, they scratched us a little bit," said Croy on his team's start. "But we went into the locker room at halftime and talked about how we wanted to compete, more so than anything schematically. I thought we had a great team attitude in the second half and really guarded to go get this victory."
CBU's lead jumped to double-digits with 15:24 remaining in regulation, and then it jumped up to 16 four minutes later when Daniels Jr. knocked down a step back 3-pointer, one of four triples he sank in the win.
Utah Tech still had fight in them as they clawed within six with just over five minutes remaining, but the Lancers had some fight left in them as well, as they hit the Trailblazers with a 13-2 run to push the lead up to 17, the largest of the night.
The Lancers shot an even 50 percent from the field in the semifinal win, including a 9-for-17 performance from beyond the arc. CBU also finished 13-for-16 at the charity stripe.
Jayden Jackson aided the CBU offense with 19 points on 5-for-8 from three. He also pulled down four rebounds and dished out three assists in 33 minutes of action.
Thomas Ndong led CBU in rebounding with seven, pairing that with eight points.
Friday's win sends CBU to the WAC Championship Game for the first time in program history. Their opponent will be Utah Valley who earned a spot after a two-point win against UT Arlington. UTA missed a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Saturday will be the fourth meeting of the season between the Lancers and Wolverines. UVU won the regular season series, 2-1, with both wins occurring in Orem. Both CBU and UVU finished undefeated in home games this season.
"To go do what we're trying to do, against a great program in Utah Valley, everyone has to be in it together," added Croy. "That was the goal, the get here."
The championship game will be a late start, with tip-off coming at 9 p.m. from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN 2.
Daniels Jr. dropped 41 on Friday, the most regulation points in CBU Division I history. He ended the night three points shy of matching the WAC Tournament single-game record. His dominating performance also puts him nine points shy of the most points in a single season in CBU history.
The Lancers trailed at halftime of Friday's game, 36-35, ending a three-game streak that saw CBU never trail. Head coach Rick Croy's team answered with a scorching start to the second half as the Lancers posted a 10-2 run to take a seven-point lead.
"I thought in the first half, they scratched us a little bit," said Croy on his team's start. "But we went into the locker room at halftime and talked about how we wanted to compete, more so than anything schematically. I thought we had a great team attitude in the second half and really guarded to go get this victory."
CBU's lead jumped to double-digits with 15:24 remaining in regulation, and then it jumped up to 16 four minutes later when Daniels Jr. knocked down a step back 3-pointer, one of four triples he sank in the win.
Utah Tech still had fight in them as they clawed within six with just over five minutes remaining, but the Lancers had some fight left in them as well, as they hit the Trailblazers with a 13-2 run to push the lead up to 17, the largest of the night.
The Lancers shot an even 50 percent from the field in the semifinal win, including a 9-for-17 performance from beyond the arc. CBU also finished 13-for-16 at the charity stripe.
Jayden Jackson aided the CBU offense with 19 points on 5-for-8 from three. He also pulled down four rebounds and dished out three assists in 33 minutes of action.
Thomas Ndong led CBU in rebounding with seven, pairing that with eight points.
Friday's win sends CBU to the WAC Championship Game for the first time in program history. Their opponent will be Utah Valley who earned a spot after a two-point win against UT Arlington. UTA missed a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Saturday will be the fourth meeting of the season between the Lancers and Wolverines. UVU won the regular season series, 2-1, with both wins occurring in Orem. Both CBU and UVU finished undefeated in home games this season.
"To go do what we're trying to do, against a great program in Utah Valley, everyone has to be in it together," added Croy. "That was the goal, the get here."
The championship game will be a late start, with tip-off coming at 9 p.m. from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN 2.
Team Stats
UTTECH
CBU
FG%
.482
.500
3FG%
.350
.529
FT%
.733
.813
RB
28
37
TO
14
12
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Pts
41
FGM
15
3FGM
4
FTM
7
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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