Dominique Daniels Jr. leads California Baptist men’s basketball team past UT Arlington

Daniels scored 28 points as the Lancers remained a game behind Utah Valley in the WAC standings with three games left to play.

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Feb 27, 2026 - 07:33
Dominique Daniels Jr. leads California Baptist men’s basketball team past UT Arlington
[RIVERSIDE – It was “The Office” Night and Dominique Daniels, Jr. looked great on paper.
  • California Baptist University’s Dominique Daniels Jr. goes for a layup...
    California Baptist University’s Dominique Daniels Jr. goes for a layup past Arlington’s Marcus Rigsby, Jr. and  Miles Goodman to score his 3000 career points in a Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball game at CBU’s Fowler Events Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
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California Baptist University’s Dominique Daniels Jr. goes for a layup past Arlington’s Marcus Rigsby, Jr. and  Miles Goodman to score his 3000 career points in a Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball game at CBU’s Fowler Events Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
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Daniels scored a game-high 28 points and had four assists as the California Baptist University men’s basketball team snapped its two-game losing skid with a 68-56 win over UT Arlington on Thursday night at the Fowler Events Center.

“We want to play the way we practice, and I feel like we did that tonight,” Daniels said. “We gotta keep that going.”

The redshirt senior scored his 3,000th career collegiate point early in the first half on his first 3-point attempt of the game. He was 2 of 7 from beyond the arc as CBU finished 8 of 20 from long distance.

“Right now, we just want to find ways to get better. That’s what we’re putting down,” said Daniels, who is averaging 22.2 points per game this season. “It’s a simple formula – get better every day.”

After back-to-back losses at Utah Tech and Utah Valley, CBU (20-8 overall, 10-5 WAC) remains in third place, one game behind Utah Valley with three games left in the regular season. The Lancers host Tarleton State on Saturday.

“It’s hard in February,” CBU coach Rick Croy said. “Everyone is fighting so hard, so it’s about whether or not we can consistently compete well at the end of the season.”

Thursday’s Senior Night matchup against Abilene Christian will be Daniels’ last collegiate game in the Inland Empire after two years at San Bernardino Valley College and three more at CBU.

Daniels’ 3-pointer from the top of the key gave CBU a 12-11 lead 8 minutes into the game. He weaved through the lane to score a scooped layup for a 14-11 less than a minute later, and the Lancers did not look back.

Senior guard Jayden Jackson hit the first of four 3-pointers for a 21-18 lead and CBU went on a 10-point run over the next 3 minutes. Jackson hit again from the same spot, Daniels added his second 3 and Jackson sank his third as the Lancers went into the locker room with a 40-27 lead.

CBU could not get a shot to fall for the first 3 minutes after the break, allowing UT Arlington (15-13, 7-9) to go on a short run. Mustangs guard Cash Chavis had 10 of his team-high 15 points in the second half.

Daniels stopped the bleeding with a runner in the lane, and the teams went back-and-forth as CBU maintained a double-digit margin throughout most of the second half.

A dunk by Tyran Mason got UT Arlington to within eight points with 14 minutes to play, but CBU went on a nine-point run and Jackson drilled his fourth 3-pointer for a 62-49 lead.

CBU junior forward Thomas Ndong was called for goaltending, but the call was reversed to a block. Daniels drilled a short jumper and sophomore forward Bradey Henige ran the pick-and-roll with senior guard Martel Williams to perfection to finish the game.

Junior forward Jonathan Griman had a game-high seven rebounds. He has 27 rebounds over his last three games.

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