Cal Baptist

“History already has been made by this team . ... We’re always looking to go out there and put CBU and Riverside on the map.”

Olson believes the community will come out and support the team with the game being played in L.A.

“It’s going to feel unusual. In the WAC, we have to travel out of state so often,” Olson said. “It will be pretty cool that people will be able to come and watch. I would expect a good turnout because it’s the first time.”

Projected brackets had CBU anywhere from a No. 13 seed to a No. 15 seed, and things got quiet in the lobby whenever a No. 13, 14 or 15 seed was announced on ESPN’S Selection Show. There was a funny moment before the opponent for No. 3-seeded LSU was revealed. Would the Lancers get the defending champions? The answer was no, and there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief when Rice popped up on the screen.

A few minutes later, however, the players jumped out

of their chairs when their school’s name appeared.

“It feels a little unreal. Words can’t really describe it,” said senior guard Chloe Webb, who was chosen the WAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “It’s fun. This is what we’ve been working all season for.”

The Lancers will be heavy underdogs when it squares off against UCLA, which enters the tournament as the No. 6-ranked team in the nation. The matchup on paper is intriguing, however. UCLA’S roster features eight players listed at 6-foot or taller. CBU’S has only two healthy players with similar size. But the Lancers play the game at a fast pace and enter the tournament as the nation’s 12th-best scoring team (81.1 points per game).

The CBU women’s basketball program is 0-4 against current Pac-12 Conference members, but the Lancers have performed very well in some of those games. During the 2019-20 season, CBU gave then No. 3-ranked Stanford all it could handle before falling 83-78. The Lancers led a nationally ranked Oregon State squad at halftime during a game in the

2021-22 season and did likewise against USC last season.

“Our team has shown great resiliency throughout the season,” senior forward Kinsley Barrington said. “We’ll go in there, remembering that the game starts at 0-0. We just need to stay level-headed and play our game.”

In a year already filled with historic moments. CBU looks to add one more to the list Saturday.

In the 1998 Women’s Tournament, Harvard beat a depleted Stanford squad, the only time a No. 16 seed has taken down a No. 1 seed. However, a No. 15-seeded team has never beaten a No. 2-seed team since the women’s tournament expanded to 64 teams. Long Beach State was closest in 2017 (5655 loss to Oregon).

“There’s always a first time for everything,” Olson said. “We have the kind of team that will go out there and swing really big. We will put a good plan together, and we will take our chances and just see what happens.

“There is no other team I would rather take onto the court for a moment like this than this group right here.”