MONMOUTH, Ore. — For the third year in a row, No. 21-ranked California Baptist University had to face UC San Diego at the NCAA Division II West Regional. All three times it has been a battle, but this year was CBU's year as the Lancers grabbed an 81-67 win over the Tritons.
 
CBU improves to 26-5 after tipping off the NCAA Division II postseason with the first game of the tournament. UCSD ends its season with a 21-11 mark.
 
Jordan Heading led all scorers with 26 points on an impressive shooting night. The redshirt junior went 7-of-14 from the floor, including 6-of-10 from three-point range, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. He also dished out six assists and finished with two steals.
 
Cory Lange caught fire in the second half and finished with 14 points (4-for-6). Kalidou Diouf followed with 13 points (5-for-7) and grabbed a team-high seven boards to help the Lancers out-rebound the Tritons 34-to-22. He finished with a career-high six assists as well. Jason Todd was just on the cusp of double figures with nine points (3-for-4), while also securing five rebounds.
 
CBU came out fired up and scored the first five points of the game, off a jumper from Diouf and a triple from Heading.
 
After the Tritons pulled within three, 13-10, the Lancers took off on a 10-2 run to create some early separation. Heading rattled in a contested three-pointer from the corner to start the spurt, with De'jon Davis (six points) banking in a basket in the paint to put CBU up 23-12 with under eight minutes left in the half.
 
UCSD battled back to take the lead, 30-27, with just under three minutes remaining in the first, but Bul Kuol found nothing but net as he hit a three from the corner to tie the game up, 30-30.
 
The back-and-forth battle remained for the last two minutes of the half, before Jason Todd drained a wide-open triple to put CBU up 35-32 at the break.
 
CBU came out of halftime looking to build back its cushion. Lange knocked down two threes in a span of a minute to put the Lancers up by six, 43-37. He never cooled off, knocking down his fourth triple of the game with nine minutes to go, increasing the Lancers' lead to 54-48.
 
Jason Todd found an open lane and banked in a shot off the glass to put the Lancers up by seven, 62-55, and force a Triton timeout with under six minutes remaining. Heading kept momentum in CBU's favor, scoring a tough shot to put CBU up 64-55 heading down the stretch.
 
Heading hit consecutive three-pointers, including one from deep, to keep some much-needed separation, 70-60, with only three minutes left on the clock.
 
UCSD turned on the full-court press, but couldn't seem to stop the Lancers as they held on for the 81-67 win.
 
The Lancers play again Saturday at 5:00 p.m. against Azusa Pacific, which beat Dixie State 69-65 on Friday. The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the West Regional Finale on Monday at 7:00 p.m.