MONMOUTH, Ore. — When it comes to March Madness, the madness can go in your favor or against you. Saturday's NCAA Division II West Region semifinal matchup between No. 14-ranked California Baptist University and No. 21-ranked UC San Diego came down to a buzzer-beating shot.
 
Unfortunately for the Lancers, it was on the wrong side of the court as they fell 71-69.

"It was a tough game," said Coach Rick Croy. "It wasn't looking good there early in the second half, but we scrapped to get back in it. We actually got control of the game late. They just made a few more plays at the end of the game. UCSD is a tough team."
 
CBU never stopped competing in the game, despite going down by 15 at one point, and poured its whole heart into the game. The outcome just didn't go in the Lancers' favor, ending the season too short with a 28-7 record. UCSD advances to the Sweet 16 with a 24-7 mark.

"We didn't play our best, but we competed really well," said Croy. "That's what we try to hang our hat on as a team. I couldn't be prouder of our seniors and the rest of our group. I think we definitely showed what we're about today."
 
Gelaun Wheelwright finished his career with 30 points, shooting 7-for-12 in the second half, and eight rebounds. Michael Smith followed his fellow 1,000-point club member with 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting, while Kalidou Diouf contributed 12 points (5-for-7) and a game-high nine rebounds.
 
The Lancers out-rebounded the Tritons 34-to-31, with twice as many offensive boards (12-to-6).
 
Jordan Giusti helped move the ball around for CBU, dishing out five assists on the night, while grabbing two steals.
 
UCSD opened with the first points of the night, but the Lancers stayed right on their tail.
 
Down 7-4, Alexander Birketoft found a sweet spot just to the left of the top of the three-point arc and sank back-to-back threes to give his team its first lead of the night, 10-7.
 
This time, UCSD had to battle to keep it close, but CBU started to create some distance about halfway through the period. The Tritons cut within four, 15-11, but Diouf posted up strong in the paint and Wheelwright followed with two free throws to threaten a 10-point lead, 19-11.
 
It didn't last long, however, as the Tritons clawed their way back into the contest and even took back the lead with less than two minutes before halftime. Jordan Heading hit a shot from the perimeter just before time expired to put his team within 32-31 at halftime.
 
Coming out of halftime down a point, CBU needed to get some stops to take back its lead. The Tritons made it hard on the Lancers, however, jumping out to a 52-37 lead with 12 minutes left to play.
 
Despite the double-digit deficit, CBU proved it was down but not out as it made some adjustments and started to get stops on defense.
 
Wheelwright came up big with a defensive rebound and traveled coast-to-coast to lay it in, sparking a 9-0 spurt for the Lancers. Meanwhile on defense, Diouf was dominating the glass to keep the Tritons from taking momentum away from CBU. He grabbed much-needed defensive rebounds to keep the run going as Smith knocked down a three on the other end of the court to cut the margin to 10 points, 52-42, and force a UCSD timeout.
 
The Lancers kept the run going as Wheelwright was sent to the line twice and rattled in four free throws to put his team within single-digits once more, down just six points.
 
UCSD tried to build back its lead, but momentum had shifted over to CBU's side. Down 60-51, the Lancers took off on a 13-0 run to jump in front 64-60. Smith sparked the run with a free throw, but missed the second of two. It didn't matter, though, as Diouf snatched up the offensive rebound, leading to a deep three from Wheelwright.
 
Giusti, who ranks in the NCAA Division II's top-10 for total steals, added another to his tally and he took the ball away from a Triton to put CBU back on the attack. Wheelwright took advantage of the opportunity and drove to the basket, cutting the margin down to just one possession, 60-57.
 
Still, the run kept going. Heading forced another UCSD turnover with a steal of his own. It led to four-straight CBU points at the charity stripe to give the Lancers back the lead. Another long shot from Wheelwright, well beyond the arc, put some distance between his team and the Tritons, giving CBU a 64-60 cushion with less than three minutes remaining.
 
The last minute was the most intense as neither team was willing to give up competing. UCSD took a one-point lead with 27 seconds left on the clock and hit two free throws as the Lancers tried to foul to get the ball back.
 
Down by three with only about 12 seconds on the clock, Wheelwright knocked down a clutch three-pointer to even the game up at 69-69.
 
The Lancers didn't have time to celebrate, however, as UCSD was sprinting down to the other end of the court with less than 10 seconds to try to win it. The Tritons barely got their shot off in time and was even under review briefly. The video showed the shot went off in time, putting 0.2 seconds on the clock for CBU.
 
It wasn't enough time for the Lancers to get a shot off, though, falling 71-69 to end their March run too soon.

"It hurts really bad, like really bad, but the thing that hurts the most is not being able to give the seniors a championship," said Smith. "At the beginning of the season I wasn't as close to Gelaun or some of the other seniors, but as the season went on, they're my life-long friends. It hurts, but I know this isn't the end of our friendships. They've given me one of the happiest years of my life."

CBU still has a lot to be proud of in its second NCAA Division II season, with a PacWest Tournament title and first-place finish in the conference. The Lancers will look to build on that for next year, but will be missing some big-time seniors (Giusti, Wheelwright, Trevone Williams and Michael Robinson). 

"It's been a really fun journey," said Croy. "I'm grateful for the seniors. I've learned so much from these guys. It's been a really, really special ride. The seniors have really grown as people and left a legacy in our program, in terms of work ethic and continuing to compete and play for each other. It's really hard to get a group like this. You want to play out as long as you can, so that's what hurts right now."

"I'm really happy I came to CBU," said Giusti, who transferred in as a junior. "We played for each other throughout the whole year and I'm going to miss it. It's a lot more than basketball. I'm forever grateful for what the staff has taught me and what I've learned from this program. I'm going to take it with me."