No. 18 CBU Blasts Bethesda 118-62

On Star Wars night, the force was awakened by No. 18-ranked California Baptist University as the Lancers blasted to a 118-62 victory over non-conference opponent Bethesda. With Tuesday night win, CBU improves to 10-2 on the year and remains a near perfect 37-1 at home over the past three years. The Flames fall to 1-8 with the loss. A whopping six Lancers finished the night scoring in double figures led by big man Kalidou Diouf. The sophomore center scored a career-high 24 points (12-for-15) and snagged eight rebounds for CBU. Gelaun Wheelwright (6-for-8) and Michael Smith (7-for-11) each followed with 16 points, with Wheelwright hitting four of his five three-point attempts. Trevone Williams chipped in 12 points on 3-for-6 shooting, while Jordan Giusti (3-for-4) and Marquise Mosley (4-for-6) rounded out the scorers in double-digit points with 11 points each. With their hot shooting from beyond the arc, the Lancers set a new single-game record with 17 made three-pointers, finishing the night with a 56.7 percentage from the perimeter. Giusti, Jordan Heading and Wheelwright each helped pass the ball around well to help CBU finish with 30 assists on the night. Giusti dished out six, while Heading finished with five assists - and no turnovers - and Wheelwright had four. The Lancers didn't start as well as they had hoped, finding themselves trailing 12-9 at one point, but quickly turned things around. Giusti started putting the momentum in favor of the home team by hitting two free throws, but it wasn't until about halfway through the first half the Lancers really started rolling. Up by five, 25-20, CBU scored eight-straight points before the Flames could extinguish the run. Taj Spencer sank two shots at the charity stripe to initiate the run and Wheelwright drove to the basket to put the Lancers up 33-20. While BU stopped the run briefly, CBU kept pushing and went on another run, this time scoring 11 consecutive points to hold a 23-point cushion. Giusti - who ranks third in all of NCAA Division II in total steals - stole the ball away and took off for the basket to start the 11-0 run. Mosley - who finished with a career-high 11 points - sealed the run by rattling in a three off an assist from Heading putting the Lancers in front 44-21. CBU broke 30-point margin territory just seconds before halftime, walking into the break with a 58-28 lead after Wheelwright sank a triple from the corner. Coming out of halftime, it seemed nothing could slow down the force CBU was bringing as the Lancers continued to distance themselves from the Flames. Less than five minutes into the second frame, Alexander Birketoft stole the ball away from BU and put Smith in on a fast break, which put CBU up by 40, 77-37. The Flames tried to contain the Lancers, but soon the 40-point margin gave way to a 50-point cushion, and even threatened a 60-point upper hand. In front 86-44, CBU put the game completely out of reach on a 15-0 run to break triple digits. Mosley got the run started, once again sinking a triple off an assist from Michael Robinson. Williams broke the 100-point mark with just under eight minutes to play as he drew a foul and finished both his free throws to put CBU up 101-44. Diouf put the Lancers on the edge of a 60-point cushion, 113-54, with three minutes to go, laying it in after Danny King stole it away. King sealed the 118-62 victory two and a half minutes later by scoring the last point of the night on a free throw.