Dominique Daniels Jr. never lost faith Saturday night.
Daniels was having arguably the worst offensive night of his career in a California Baptist University jersey. The Western Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year had scored only 14 points on 4-of-22 shooting with 2 minutes left to play in Saturday night’s WAC Tournament championship game against Utah Valley University.
But the Lancers still had a chance for a historic win, and Daniels refused to let his collegiate career come to an end on this night.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 14: Dominique Daniels Jr. #1 of the California Baptist Lancers celebrates defeating the Utah Valley Wolverines 63-61 in the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
Daniels buried three 3-pointers at the end, including the decisive one with 15 seconds on the clock, as California Baptist erased a seven-point deficit and stunned the Wolverines 63-61 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. This marks the program’s first WAC Tournament title and first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament.
“After I missed that last layup, I told myself going down anything can happen in March,” said Daniels. “And the next three plays, I got three buckets for us to win.”
CBU (25-8) will learn its first-round opponent Sunday at 3 p.m., when the NCAA Division I Tournament bracket is revealed.
Daniels scored a career-high 47 points against Utah Valley on Jan. 24, but the senior point guard was held to 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting when the two teams squared off Feb. 19. And in Saturday night’s championship game, Trevan Leonhardt’s 6-foot-4 frame and length made things difficult for Daniels to find a rhythm.
Utah Valley (25-8) trailed 50-48 with 5:51 remaining in the game, but the Wolverines pieced together an 11-2 run over 3 minutes to take its biggest lead (59-52).
With Daniels struggling from the field, things started to look bleak for the Lancers. The deficit was still six points with 2 minutes on the clock, but Daniels broke out of his slump and drilled 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to tie the game. Utah Valley regained the lead on a free throw, but Daniels hit another 3-pointer.
“We did a great job on Dom most of the night, and the last minute and a half he took over and hit some huge shots,” Utah Valley coach Todd Phillips said.
Utah Valley had an opportunity to tie or win the game in the closing seconds, but Isaac Davis was unable to convert a dunk on an alley-oop pass from Leonhardt.
“The talk in the huddles were incredible,” CBU coach Rick Croy said about his team’s outlook while trailing late. “I knew at that point we were going to find a way.
“And this guy to my right (Daniels) is the most courageous player that I have ever coached.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 14: The California Baptist Lancers celebrate defeating the Utah Valley Wolverines 63-61 the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
CBU’s offense started on a positive note, as four different players knocked down a 3-pointers to give the Lancers a 14-4 advantage about 8 minute into the game.
Utah Valley chipped at the deficit and eventually caught the Lancers at 22 with just over 3 minutes left in the first half. The score was tied at 26 at halftime.
Brady Henige and Jonathan Griman scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Lancers, and Thomas Ndong and Martell Williams combined for 15 rebounds.
Jackson Holcombe finished with 18 points to lead Utah Valley, while Leonhardt stuffed the stat sheet with six points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.