Dixie State scored 11 points over the final 1:12 of the second half to erase an eight-point deficit and stun California Baptist, 79-76, on Wednesday night inside the CBU Events Center. With the victory, the Trailblazers (8-9/1-3 WAC) snapped their four-game losing streak and picked up their first WAC win of the season.

The two former Pacific West Conference rivals locked horns in an entertaining game of runs over the first 20 minutes of play. The Trailblazers, who went without enjoying a single lead during its four-game slide, drew first blood and outscored the Lancers 11-5 over the opening 4:43 of the game.
 
CBU (10-5/0-2 WAC) then flipped the switch on offense as the Lancers hit their next six field goals attempts over a four-minute span, including three 3-pointers, as part of a 16-4 run to vault to a 21-15 advantage.
 
Dixie State stopped the run after the under-12 media time out with a Dancell Leter lay-in, which sparked a 17-6 Blazer rally as DSU wrestled the lead back at 32-27 after a Frank Staine trey with 7:15 to play in the period. Staine's 3-pointer was one of three perimeter makes in the run, with Hunter Schofield and Cameron Gooden also hitting from downtown.
 
California Baptist countered with six-straight points to go back on top, and the two sides would trade the lead six more times before two Gooden free throws in the closing seconds of the frame gave DSU a slim 42-41 advantage at the intermission.
 
CBU scored on its first possession of the second half, but Dixie State came back with nine unanswered points, including five from Gooden, as the Trailblazers raced to their biggest lead of the night at 51-43 with 16:15 to play.
 
DSU's defense locked down the Lancers, holding them to just 3-of-17 from the floor to begin the period. However the Blazers weren't much better as they hit on only three of their 10 attempts and turned the ball over four times, which allowed the CBU to chip away at the deficit.
 
After two Ty Rowell free throws gave CBU the lead back at 56-55 with 10:14 left, Dixie State rattled off a 12-6 spurt over the next four minutes to extend to a 67-62 cushion. Leter and Gooden combined for nine of those points, with Gooden capping the run with a driving lay-in with 6:03 on the clock.
 
Dixie State, which was hampered by nine second half turnovers, would only score one point over the next five-plus minutes as CBU went on a 14-1 run to take a commanding 76-68 lead with 1:26 remaining.
 
Isaiah Pope finally broke the Blazer drought with a jumper on DSU's next possession. Then after a Dixie State timeout, Staine forced a Lancer turnover and found Gooden, who drained a 3-pointer to trim the Lancer led to 76-73 with 1:03 left.
 
DSU's defense came up big with another turnover just eight seconds later as Gooden picked off a steal and found a driving Leter to make it a one-point game at 76-75.
 
CBU, which only had four total turnovers through the first 38-plus minutes, coughed up the basketball again on its next trip down the court, and the Blazers capitalized.

Gooden drove the left lane and missed a lay-up, but the rebound was snared by Staine. Staine then cleared the ball to Pope on the right wing, and the sophomore guard drained a leaner in the paint and drew a foul with 7.4 seconds on the clock.

Pope completed the three-point play to put DSU up two, and the Blazer defense came up with one more turnover when Daniel Akin was called for an offensive foul. Gooden was then sent to the line with less than one second left and split a pair of free throws to provide the final margin as the Trailblazers became the first team to win on CBU's home floor this season.
 
"Well we thought we gave the game away in those late minutes in the second half, but we decided to take it back," Head Coach Jon Judkins said. "I am really proud of the way we kept fighting and we never gave up. We played really hard and we were fortunate to come away with the victory."
 
Gooden led all scorers with a career-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting with three 3-pointers. The junior guard also collected six rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.
 
Meanwhile Schofield posted his second double-double of the year (and seventh of his career) with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Leter added 12 points and Pope chipped in 10 as the Blazer starters accounted for 71 of the team's 79 points on the night.
 
Dixie State shot a WAC season-best 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the floor, including a 7-of-20 (.350) effort from beyond the arc. DSU also hit on 18-of-25 (.720) from the line and outrebounded CBU by a slim 39-38 margin.
 
Akin paced the Lancers with 23 points and 10 boards, while Rowell finished with 16 points and six assists. After shooting over 48 percent (14-of-29) in the first half, CBU went just 10-of-33 (.303) from the floor in the second stanza to close the night at 38.7 percent (24-of-62). CBU was also held to 6-of-25 (.240) from the perimeter and was 22-of-31 (.710) at the line.

Dixie State wraps up its West Coast trip this Saturday when the Blazers travel north to the "Emerald City" for a matinee at Seattle U. Tip-off inside the Redhawk Center is slated for 1 p.m. (PT).