Picking up where they left off after last season’s historic playoff appearance, the men’s basketball team is currently undefeated through three matches.
Kicking the season off at Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena, the Warriors played in an exhibition game against Bristol University. The Bristol Bears of Anaheim rallied for a total of 70 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Warriors slid by with 78 total points. The exhibition game gave way for the Warriors to make a statement early in the season.
Following the exhibition game, the Warriors headed to San Rafael to compete in a preseason challenge hosted by the Dominican University Penguins. After taking a 10-point lead to finish the first half of the game, the Warriors scraped by with a two-point victory.
To round out the short preseason tournament, the Warriors faced the Montana State Billings. For the third straight win, the Warriors defeated the Billings by a margin of less than 10 points. The Warriors owed their victory to their success at the free-throw line in the second half of the game, scoring a total of 22 free-throws.
Senior guard, Chris Read, led the Warriors offense with 52 points and teamed up with fellow seniors Wes Bartole, who added 34 points and 28 rebounds, and Clinton Tremelling, who added 27 points that included six three-pointers, while freshman guard Christian Bayne added 26 points. Bartole was named to the All-Tournament team, and Read was named the tournament MVP.
Despite the Warriors’ success in the win category, they are shooting less than 40 percent for attempted field goals and attempted three-pointers– categories they will need to improve if they hope to have another chance at the NCAA tournament. Warrior fans hope to see continued success overall and offensive improvement in the Cal Baptist Classic, which the team will participate in next week in Riverside.