HILO, Hawai'i - One down, two to go.
 
The Concordia University Irvine men's basketball team started off its three-game road trip in the Aloha State by securing an 84-75 come-from-behind win over Hawai'i Hilo and improving to 11-2 in its last 13 contests.
 
Redshirt freshman Kayle Knuckles finished with a career-high 20 points and collected seven boards – which also tied a season-best.  The Highlands Ranch, Colo. native sank 7-of-11 shots from the floor and went 4-of-6 from downtown to raise his average from three-point land to 38 percent.
 
Trailing by as many as eight in the second half, the Eagles (12-6, 8-1 PacWest) promptly worked their way back into the flow with a 14-4 surge.  Senior Brian Chambers drove for a layup to tie the game at 46 and then seconds later, Robert Taylor swooped in for a steal and a breakaway dunk to put the Eagles back in front, 48-46.
 
After the two squads traded a couple buckets, recent Newport Rib Company Eagle of the Week Jamel White chased down a rebound, pushed the pace and flipped a lob pass to Cameron English for a slam in traffic and a 50-49 CUI lead.
 
Then in a three-minute span, Geoff Gerlach converted three layups off passes from Chambers and Denzel Holt to spur an 8-2 CUI run that gave the Eagles a 62-57 lead that they would not relinquish.
 
"Hilo takes great pride in their home court and therefore this is an extremely difficult place to win," said Concordia head coach Ken Ammann.  "I could not be more proud of our guys tonight.  We handled a really tough and physical opponent, and embraced the challenge of winning here."
 
"Winning each four-minute segment in the second half and staying focused on defense were the keys to us being able to come back in the second half," said Knuckles.
 
After the Eagles built a 25-22 advantage, the Vulcans (7-6, 5-4 Pacwest) went on a 10-2 run late in the first half.  Knuckles got CUI back on track by draining a corner trey to stop the bleeding.  Knuckles finished with a team-high 10 points in the first half as the Eagles went to the locker room trailing 37-34 at the break.
 
"Kayle looked to be a little more aggressive which helped us," added Ammann.
 
As a team, the Eagles went 8-of-19 from behind the arc, with White, Holt, Austin Clarke, and Kyle Gray each making one trey as well.
 
Chambers added 10 of his 13 points in the second half and dished out ten assists after struggling to find his shot in the early going.
 
"Brian was a tremendous competitor in the second half and guarded their best player," said Ammann.  "He responded really well to a tough first half."
 
"Brian Chambers and Daulton Hommes from Point Loma are the two best players in our conference," said Vulcans head coach G.E. Coleman. "We needed to do a better job defensively and we didn't take any charges."
 
In contrast, Concordia drew six charges to force some key offensive fouls on the Vulcans.  The Green and Gold also knocked down their free throws and finished the evening 16-of-18 from the charity stripe.
 
Geoff Gerlach chipped in with 12 points ­­­and had a very efficient night.  The senior from Australia shot 6-of-8 and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. 
 
White and Gray each finished with nine points apiece and English added eight off the bench.
 
"My focus when I came in the game was being able to do anything I can to help the team win, being completely selfless and competing at a high level," said Gray.
 
Concordia had just moved into the top ten rankings in the D2SIDA West Region Men's Basketball Media Poll released on Monday.  The No. 10 Eagles continue their Hawai'i road trip at Hawai'i Pacific University on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 8:30 p.m. PT followed by a date with Chaminade on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. PT.
 
"The Hawai'i teams are all hard to beat so we need to stay focused for Thursday," added Ammann.
 
For the full Concordia University Irvine men's basketball schedule, click here.