Tribune-Herald
Tribune-Herald
There’s a reason why the Cal Baptist University men’s basketball team is ranked in the NCAA Division II’s top 10 — the Lancers are talented with a deep roster.
On Saturday night, the University of Hawaii at Hilo got an upclose look at the eighth-ranked Lancers and fell 98-70 in a Pacific West Conference game in Riverside, Calif.
Ryan Berg led Cal Baptist (21-1 overall, 16-1 PacWest) with 18 points, one of six Lancers to reach double figures in the lopsided win. Chris Brown and Michael Smith followed with 12 points apiece as the Vulcans’ defense had its hands full all evening long.
Senior Brandon Thomas led UHH (3-18, 0-15) with a game-high 21 points and junior Yevgeniy Dyachenko added 14. But the visiting Vulcans just couldn’t contain the balanced Cal Baptist attack.
The Lancers made 10 of 29 3-pointers while UHH was 6 of 23 from long distance. The hosts also dominated the rebounding stats, pulling down 50 compared to the Vulcans’ 34.
The UHH men’s and women’s teams end a three-game road trip tonight with PacWest games at Azusa Pacific University.
The Vulcan teams then return to Hilo to finish their conference season with four home games — Thursday vs. Holy Names University; Feb. 24 vs. Notre Dame de Namur; Feb. 27 vs. Fresno Pacific; and March 1 vs. Hawaii Pacific University.