Dominique Daniels Jr. shines in California Baptist men’s basketball debut – Press Enterprise

RIVERSIDE — Some basketball players need time to adjust to new surroundings.

Dominique Daniels Jr. is no different, but he needed only four minutes to find that comfort zone in his Division I debut.

Daniels, a junior guard who had a phenomenal two-year career at San Bernardino Valley College, knocked down six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points in leading the California Baptist University men’s basketball team to a 74-57 victory over San Francisco State in the season opener for both schools Monday evening at the Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center.

“He has tremendous faith and it shows up in everything he does,” Lancers coach Rick Croy replied when asked why he recruited Daniels to California Baptist. “Dom has a big heart… and he is one of the most focused competitors that I have ever coached.”

That drive comes from Daniels having a chip on his shoulder, and the Compton native wanted to make an impression Monday.

“Some people still doubt me because of my size (5-foot-10 and 180 pounds),” said Daniels, who averaged 23.8 points per game over two years at San Bernardino Valley. “You can say I wanted to come out and have a strong performance my first game here.”

Daniels immediately endeared himself to the home crowd, including the CBU Crazies, by sinking his first four 3-point attempts.

“I’m in here working every single day, and I think it showed,” Daniels said. “I just really love everything about this school.”

Daniels scored 15 points and carried the offensive load during the first half. His fourth 3-pointer of the night gave the Lancers a 25-17 lead with 8:52 left before halftime. Daniels picked up a second foul with 5:52 on the clock and spent the rest of the half as a spectator on the bench. CBU struggled with Daniels off the floor, scoring only four points in those final minutes before halftime.

San Francisco State, a NCAA Division II program, closed the opening half with a 14-7 run and trimmed the deficit to 32-31.

“There were a lot of nerves early from a lot guys,” Croy said about those struggles to close the first half. “We just have to get that out of our system… We have a lot of new guys. At times, it’s going to look real good, but there’s also going to be those stretches when things aren’t bouncing our way. We just have to work through those moments and not let the game get away from us.”

CBU was extremely efficient and showed much more balance in the second half. Brantly Stevenson, an Etiwanda High School graduate who transferred from Cal Poly, missed all six shots during the first half but bounced back with 11 points after halftime. Tylen Riley finished with 12 points, while Hunter Goodrick and Yvan Ouedraogo scored seven points apiece for the Lancers.

Daniels’ final 3-pointer came on an inbounds play and kickstarted a 20-11 run that helped the Lancers pull away near the end.

“We took care of the ball and played with much better discipline in the second half,” Croy said. “We need to keep doing that.”

CBU outrebounded San Francisco State 47-31, including a 16-2 edge on the offensive glass. Goodrick and Ouedraogo finished with 13 and 10 rebounds, respectively, for the Lancers. The front-court duo combined for nine offensive rebounds Monday.

Jonah Roth scored 13 points to lead the way for San Francisco State. C.J. Bellamy, a sophomore point guard who played three seasons at Roosevelt High School before transferring for his senior year, added 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting for the Gators.

Croy is one of the greatest players in San Francisco State’s history (10th in career points, second in career 3-pointers), and he improved to 4-0 as a coach against his alma mater with Monday night’s victory. Before the game, a moment of silence was observed for former Gators coach Charlie Thomas, who passed away Sunday at the age of 71.

“I was great that we could honor Charlie Thomas, who was my coach at San Francisco State,” Croy said. “I spoke with a lot of former teammates and other players these past two days. We remembered the good times and all the things he did for us.”