HONOLULU, Hawai'i - The Concordia University Irvine women's basketball team had a tall task Monday as it took on No. 8 Hawai'i Pacific University in a battle of the top two teams in the PacWest.  Despite shooting 94 percent from the free throw line and seeing two key players come up with double-doubles, the second-place Eagles ultimately fell to the first-place Sharks 89-80.
 
Both teams came into the game giving up only 60 points per contest in conference play.  The first quarter played true to the numbers as it was a defensive battle for most of the quarter. Junior forward Michaela VanderKlugt had the hot hand to start, going 4-for-4 with eight points. CUI opened up a five-point advantage and led 18-14 after the opening period.
 
The Sharks (19-1, 14-0 PacWest) however came out in the second quarter on a mission and shot a blistering 52 percent during that stretch. The conference leaders went 3-for-3 from behind the three-point line before anyone could even blink, ultimately building an eleven-point lead with three minutes left in the half.
 
The Eagles (11-6, 9-3 PacWest) cut into the deficit and battled with all their might but headed into halftime down 43-33.  
 
Just as they did in the first ten minutes, CUI outscored HPU in the third quarter and trailed by eight heading into the final frame. However, the Eagles could not find their rhythm from behind the arc to overcome the deficit. CUI shot just 19 percent (4-for-21) from deep while the Sharks shot 50 percent (8-for-16) from three-point land.
 
Head coach Christine Collins-Kiernan knew that team would have to have their legs under them as HPU likes to really push the pace.  
 
"We did not execute much on the defensive end and it is why we did not win," said Collins-Kiernan. "We did enough on the offensive end to put us in position to win but we lacked the poise to finish defensive plays. They did all the little things today and had an exceptional second quarter while we watched them."
 
VanderKlugt capped off the three-game trip across the Pacific with her best game of the week.  She finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
 
"We did a lot of good things on the road trip," said VanderKlugt, "but we have to be better in these big games. We showed moments of great team play but our defense was not where it normally is. We pride ourselves on defense and just gave up too many points and didn't get enough stops in a row to control the bleeding." 
 
Junior forward Kennedy Fulcher and sophomore guard Jasmine Rachal joined VanderKlugt in double figures. Fulcher finished with 15 points and 12 boards while Rachal poured in 20 points.
 
"When we ran our offense, we were pretty successful and there were plenty of open shots," said Fulcher. "Our team's spacing made it easy to knock those shots down."
 
CUI remarkably only had four turnovers the entire contest against a team that has only lost once this whole season.
 
The Eagles will be back in action this Saturday, Feb. 1 when they host Point Loma at 5:30 p.m. during homecoming weekend festivities. The CUI and Point Loma men's teams will then square off as part two of that night's doubleheader at 7:30 p.m.
 
"We have a short time to recalibrate and get set for another competitive game on Saturday," added Collins-Kiernan.
 
For the full CUI women's basketball schedule, click here.