Pushing Through

Wednesday, February 3

Riverside, Calif.

7:00 PM

California Baptist University

18-5, 9-4PWC

BYU-Hawaii

12-8, 9-6PWC

BYU-Hawaii

California Baptist

Photo by: Conner Schuh

2/3/2016 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Sammi Sheppard, Director of Sports Information

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — After dropping a tough game on the road on Saturday, California Baptist University had to put up another fight Wednesday night. This time, the Lancers came out on top with a 97-90 victory over BYU-Hawaii.

The win keeps the Lancers — who are receiving votes in the latest NABC/NCAA Division II poll — in the hunt for their second PacWest title, sitting 18-5 on the year, 9-4 in conference for second place. The Seasiders drop to 12-8 overall and 9-6 in the PacWest.

"This win is huge for us," said Gelaun Wheelwright. "We've had a completely different mindset going into this last stretch of conference. We're taking it one game at a time. Our run is coming, we just need to keep working."

Five Lancers finished the night with double figures, led by Wheelwright. He scored a career-high 38 points, shooting 12-for-19 from the field, including 7-for-11 from three-point range.

"I wouldn't have been able to do what I did tonight without the help of my teammates," Wheelwright said. "They got me open and found me, so the credit goes to them. They give me the confidence I need to perform this way."

Taj Spencer followed with a double-double, scoring 19 points (8-for-17) and 12 rebounds. Kalidou Diouf chipped in 14 points (5-for-12), while Jordan Giusti and Trevone Williams rounded out the quintet with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Giusti also dished out seven assists on the night.

BYUH grabbed the first double-digit lead of the night, 37-23, with six minutes left before halftime.

Wheelwright stopped the scoring spurt, making two free throws to cut the lead to 37-27. He then put the Lancers even closer after driving through traffic to the basket and drawing a foul in the process. Wheelwright hit the and-one, cutting the score to 37-30.

The Seasiders kept the home team from grabbing too much momentum, trying to keep in front, but Diouf hit a reverse layup to stay within single digits, 39-32. Wheelwright then sank a three with just under three minutes before halftime to make it a two-possession game, 39-35.

CBU kept pushing the last two minutes of the half, but couldn't get the shots to fall to go into halftime down 46-38.

Coming out of the break, the Seasiders opened the second half with the first points of the frame, but CBU soon found its rhythm. Michael Robinson sank a three to bring the margin back under 10, before a Williams put-back made it 48-43.

Down 54-47, Spencer lobbed up a jump shot straight through the hoop, starting a 7-0 spurt.

Giusti then forced a turnover and Spencer laid it in to bring the Lancers within three. They got another stop they were looking for to go back on offense. Wheelwright made a difficult shot on the play and drew a foul in the process. He finished his old-fashioned three-point play to even the game up at 54-54.

It wasn't until halfway through the half that the Lancers finally took back their lead as Giusti hit a three to make it 63-62. Both teams battled it out for the remaining 10 minutes, trying to distance themselves from the other.

Diouf put some distance between the two teams by hitting two free throws to give the Lancers a 76-71 cushion. CBU kept the five-point margin heading down the stretch, 78-73, feeling more and more energized.

Wheelwright and Williams each hit deep shots from beyond the arc to try to help the Lancers pull away, but the Seasiders desperately hung on. CBU's two post players teamed up under the basket to put their team just on the edge of a 10-point lead, 86-78, but BYUH scored to diffuse the threat.

The Seasiders tried to foul back into the game in the final two minutes, but CBU hit its free throws to seal the game 97-90.

CBU heads to Dixie State for a 6:00 p.m. Pacific time tip off. The Lancers close their home campaign the following week, hosting Dominican on Saturday and a rematch with Concordia (Calif.) on Monday. Both games tip off at 7:00 p.m. in the Van Dyne Gym.