CBU women's basketball team closes out regular season by beating Southern Utah

Chance Bucher scored 19 points Saturday afternoon for the Lancers, who head to the WAC Tournament as the No. 1-seeded team.

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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The California Baptist University women's basketball team clinched the Western Athletic Conference's regular-season championship on Thursday and capped off the season with a 77-61 victory over Southern Utah on Saturday. Chance Bucher, a graduate student, scored a team-high 19 points in her first start in nearly three months. The Lancers shot 55.9% from the field in the first half and led by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter.

Why it matters

The win gives CBU the No. 1 seed heading into the WAC Tournament, where they will look to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Lancers overcame a six-game losing streak earlier in the season to rally back and win the regular-season conference title.

The details

CBU never trailed in the game and held the lead for all but the first 24 seconds. Bucher scored the first seven points of the game and hit a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter to extend the Lancers' lead to 16. Lauren Olsen and Filipa Barros also hit 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter to give CBU a 26-16 advantage. Barros finished with a double-double, her 14th of the season.

  • On Thursday, CBU clinched the Western Athletic Conference's regular-season championship.
  • On Saturday, CBU capped off the regular season with a 77-61 victory over Southern Utah.

The players

Chance Bucher

A graduate student who scored a team-high 19 points in her first start in nearly three months.

Jarrod Olson

The head coach of the CBU women's basketball team.

Lauren Olsen

A player who hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first quarter to help CBU take a 26-16 lead.

Filipa Barros

A player who had a double-double, her 14th of the season, and also hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first quarter.

Ava Uhrich

A Southern Utah player who had game-highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds.

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What they’re saying

“I think the thing I will remember most about this team is they never quit.”

— Jarrod Olson, CBU head coach

“We were so far down at one point, but credit to these girls for sticking together and rallying back from adversity. That's one of the reason we love to play sports, right?”

— Jarrod Olson, CBU head coach

“Chance got us off to a great start and was really inspiring for everyone else. We followed her lead. I'm really proud of her.”

— Jarrod Olson, CBU head coach

What’s next

CBU is the No. 1 seed for the WAC Tournament and has a bye through to the semifinals. The Lancers will face Utah Valley or Tarleton State on Friday at Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

The takeaway

The CBU women's basketball team overcame a mid-season slump to rally back and win the WAC regular-season title, proving their resilience and ability to bounce back from adversity. Their strong finish sets them up as the team to beat in the upcoming WAC Tournament as they look to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.