IRVINE, Calif. - The red hot Eagles of Concordia Irvine took on the tough Northern California traveling Penguins from Dominican University.

 Although CUI had a valiant effort towards the end, the Irvine squad lost the battle 78-86.

The Green and Gold were coming off a spectacular comeback victory just two days before that clinched their birth into the PacWest Conference tournament and a four game winning streak. This was the Eagles third game in a six day stretch.

With the first half being played at an uncomfortable pace, the Penguins proved to be ready for CUI as their defense forced Concordia into struggling to find a rhythm.

The powerhouse CUI squad ended the half trailing by five points, 27-32. Senior Cameron English led the Eagles into the break with 6pts and 6reb.

With the second half underway, senior Rob McCoy brought intensity to the team forcing a couple of steals and easy buckets which included a two-hand slam that caused a Dominican team timeout.

After the break in action, Concordia took their first lead of the game with free throws by way of Andre Green. Green was fouled on three, 3-point attempts and he sunk all nine to give the Eagles a boost. Green finished the game with a game high 25 points.

As the half continued, the Green and Gold continued to struggle on the offensive end, giving the Penguins enough confidence to retain the lead.

With five minutes remaining in the battle, the Eagles trailed by 10 points. But, no stranger to comebacks or adversity, CUI was not finished yet. The Green and Gold were able to cut the lead down to five points within a couple of minutes.

Although the Eagles squad fought hard, they were not able to complete another comeback and fell short of the Cinderella story.

Concordia will look to bounce back and get back in the win column on Thursday, Feb. 20th at 7:30 p.m. against Notre Dame De Namur.

For more information on the CUI men's basketball team, click here: