IRVINE, Calif – Just like the women's basketball team on Saturday, the CUI men's basketball squad proved it can play with its conference rivals from Azusa Pacific.
 
Before facing the No. 6 team in the country, the Eagles honored eight seniors – seven players and also their manager, Nick Ellersick. It provided a nice boost for the squad as CU Arena was rocking. ESPN3 was also broadcasting the game.
 
Both teams put on a shooting clinic in the first half as both teams caught fire from behind the arc. Andre Green scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half to help CUI build an early double-digit lead. He went 3-for-5 from three-point land in his last home contest.
 
Fellow senior Rob McCoy finished with a team-best 19 points while classmate Jamel White had the hot hand from behind the arc (3-for-6) and added 18 points and seven assists.
 
Unfortunately for the Eagles however, the Cougars went on an 11-0 run to move in front in the second half and CUI came up just a couple possessions from knocking off one of the top ten teams in all of NCAA DII. APU prevailed 80-76.

"I really liked the way we competed and it's too bad we didn't stay focused enough for a couple of stretches to earn the win," said CUI head coach Ken Ammann. "But APU really made some tough shots and made us pay. We had good energy and so did the crowd. We need to get the little things done at a higher level if we want to give ourselves a chance next week."
 
The Eagles will face the other group of Eagles (Biola) in the first round of the PacWest Conference Championships. That game will be played on Thursday evening over at Azusa Pacific and is slated for a 7:15 p.m. start. The winner will advance to play tournament host and top-seeded Azusa Pacific on Friday evening at 7:15 p.m.
 
For the full CUI men's basketball schedule, click here.