SAN DIEGO, Calif. - It was a battle of two loss teams as the Concordia University Irvine women's basketball team traveled south to take on Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. The Eagles came away with a hard fought, 89-80 win on the road to move into sole possession of second place in the PacWest, effectively ending the Sea Lions 14 game home winning streak.
"This was a really tough week with three games against teams in the top part of the conference," said head coach Christine Collins-Kiernan. "They should feel happy with their progress, growth, and hopefully are inspired to keep it going."
With the Eagles looking to go 3-0 on the week they knew they would have a tall task in front of them, as the Sea Lions have had their number winning seven of the first eight meetings since the Eagles joined the PacWest.
Junior forward Michaela VanderKlugt, doing her best Elena Della Donne impression (wearing a mask to protect her face and nose), had a game high 29 points, to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
"I felt very confident shooting the ball today," said VanderKlugt. "I got hit in the face right at the beginning of the game but I did not let that distract me or get me away from my game. I knew they were gonna come out aggressive, trying to set a fast tempo. I praise our guards coming off of ball screens, making the right read, and feeding the ball right away before they got trapped."
The Eagles struggled on the boards in the first half, which is uncharacteristic of them as of late, but got back true to form in the second half, out-rebounding the Sea Lions on the defensive end 26-24 for the game.
Junior forward Kennedy Fulcher has been a huge part of the Eagles rebounding presence all season. She finished the night with four defensive boards and three offensive.
"We really wanted to win this game," said Fulcher. "Point Loma is a team that plays with great intensity. So we knew we had to match it in order to come out with a win."
Freshman forward Savannah Felix-Amoroso carried her strong play over from Thursday and finished one rebound shy of a double-double (11 points and nine rebounds).
Sophomore guard Jasmine Rachal had a career week for the Eagles. Monday she dropped a career-high 31 points, Thursday she dished out a season-high seven assists, and tonight she filled up the box score with 20 points, four boards, six assists, and one steal.
"This was a big win for us," said Rachal. "Point Loma is a well-coached team that plays with a lot of fire and grit. We had to battle all game. Even though we had some slip ups in the second half we came together and stayed calm during chaos. Going 3-0 this week is huge for us. But we have another tough week out in Hawaii that we have to get ready for."
The Eagles had five players in double figures.
Fulcher and sophomore guard Katie Timmerman finished with 12 and 10 respectively to go along with Rachal, Felix-Amoroso, and VanderKlugt.
Collins-Kiernan had to go to her bench early and often throughout the game. Her freshman would end up making freshman mistakes but were able to keep their heads in the game and make huge plays at the end of the night.
"We spend so much time getting to the next thing and not reacting to 'mistakes'," said Collins-Kiernan. "I don't pull for aggressive mistakes and our leadership that surrounds them never lets them hang their head. Most kids play better when they feel good about themselves so we try really hard to instill confidence and hold them accountable to staying the course. We are playing four freshmen and two sophomores an incredible amount of minutes and they are finding a way to fill holes, give us production and stay aggressive."
The Eagles continue their four-game road trip as they head west across the Pacific to take on the three Hawaii schools next week.
For the full CUI women's basketball schedule, click here.
