IRVINE, Calif. - The Concordia University Irvine women's basketball team fought valiantly in its home opener Friday night but ultimately fell to California State University Humboldt by a final score of 67-56.
 
The Lumberjacks, who were picked ninth in the preseason D2 West Regional Rankings, came into the contest with a record of 1-1.  They were looking to rebound after a loss to Western Washington University.  
 
Coming off a huge double double against California State University Los Angeles, junior forward Michaela VanderKlugt continued her strong play finishing three rebounds shy of her second straight double double. She tallied 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds.
 
Not to be outdone, sophomore guard Jasmine Rachal dropped a team-high 23 points en route to her fourteenth straight game in double figures dating back to last season.  She played 39 of the 40 minutes, leaving it all out there on the court for her team.
 
"Michaela and Jasmine are built for big games and game plans thrown at them by other teams," said CUI head coach Christine Collins-Kiernan. "When the rest of the team does their jobs and lets their lights shine is when we are at our best."
 
The Eagles started out strong in the first quarter but so did the Lumberjacks.  The Eagles were able to get timely stops in an effort to stop the bleeding and went into the second quarter down 16-11.
 
Strong defense was the backbone of the Eagles two wins last weekend and tonight was no different.  They held the Lumberjacks to 33% from the field in the first half.  The Eagles continued their strong defensive play in the second half but struggled to consistently find the basket down the stretch.
 
It was a complete team effort in the first half as the Eagles got scoring production from four of their five starters.  A second quarter surge spurred by VanderKlugt, Rachal, Katie Timmerman and Kennedy Fulcher combined to give the Eagles a boost as they moved ahead for a 26-24 halftime lead.  
 
"We were getting defensive stops in the second quarter," said Fulcher. "We had like three or four stops in a row and that really helped drive our offense."
 
The second half is where the Eagles have thrived all year however tonight they had to fight through some adversity in the third quarter.  Their shots were not falling and the Lumberjacks started to show why they were ranked in the preseason West Regional Rankings.  
 
The experience of the Eagles kept them in the game and gave them a fighter's chance entering the fourth quarter down seven.
 
And fight they did.  The Eagles came out and scored the first five points.  
 
The Lumberjacks answered however with a quick five of their own to stretch the lead back to seven.  The Eagles could not completely dig themselves out of the hole and ultimately Humboldt State secured the victory.
 
"We just didn't execute defensively and we missed a lot of shots that we usually hit," added Fulcher.
 
CUI freshman guard Destiny Sambrano saw her first minutes of the season and made the most of them.  She came and played shut down defense in the second half while at the same time sparking the Eagles offense when they needed it the most.
 
Coach Collins-Kiernan was not surprised by what she saw from Sambrano.  
 
"Destiny is a very athletic, smooth player who plays fearless and when she is locked into game plan like tonight she becomes a spark for us," said Collins-Kiernan. "She is not a stranger to big games or pressure and tonight she showed she is capable of being a part of what we need to do to be successful moving forward." 
 
The Eagles will look to bounce back from this game when they take on Division I opponent Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. next Saturday, Nov. 23.