CBU Men's Basketball Team Draws a Crowd

RIVERSIDE>> With the opening of the new events center underway at California Baptist University, the men's basketball team played for the last time in the Van Dyne Gym on Saturday, Feb. 25. The No. 5-ranked California Baptist University team put up a good battle, but just dropped a close 77-71 loss to Point Loma University. The Lancers fell to 25-3 overall and 17-3 in the PacWest to conclude the regular season. The Sea Lions improved to 15-12 overall, 11-9 in conference and guaranteed themselves one more game with a bid to the PacWest Tournament. Michael Smith led CBU with 29 points (9-for-17), while boasting a 5-to-0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Defensively, the PacWest and CBU all-time leading scorer finished with one block and one steal, while grabbing six rebounds on the night. Kalidou Diouf was the only other Lancer in double figures, finishing with a double-double on 17 points (6-for-9) and 13 boards. Jason Todd was on the cusp of a double-double, scoring eight points and grabbing eight missed shots off the glass. "It came down to the wire, with both teams holding leads in the final five minutes of the game. Point Loma managed to grab the momentum, despite Van Dyne erupting in "Defense" chants to make it hard on the Sea Lions," a news release states. "The visitors managed to get the stops they needed on defense, however, to take the game 77-71." CBU heads to the PacWest Tournament this weekend at Concordia University of Irvine. The Lancers have secured a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed in the tournament after Hawai'i Pacific claimed the top spot with the regular-season championship. The Lancers also currently rank No. 1 in the West Region, which could mean hosting duties for the tournament March 10-13 if CBU is determined the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Selection Show on March 5. As for the next season of basketball, the team will play in the new 5,200 seat arena — expandable to more than 6,000 seats — in the new events center that is expected to open this year.