CARSON, Calif. – The Green and Gold needed a few minutes to get into a groove in their Wednesday matinee with Cal State Dominguez Hills.
But after they found their footing, the Eagles erased an early 11-point deficit, took control of the game, and then fended off a late charge to earn a 76-73 victory on the day before Thanksgiving.
Concordia University Irvine trailed 9-0 to start the game and 13-2 early on before coming alive midway through the first half.
Wayne Arnold scored the first seven points of the game for the Eagles before
Rodrick McCobb and
Kayle Knuckles each knocked down a triple. A short hook shot flipped in by
Cameron Fini gave CUI its first lead at 22-21.
Arnold provided an exclamation point right before the break with a step-back three-pointer from the corner over two defenders about two seconds before the halftime buzzer. CUI led 40-31 at intermission to make that slow start a moot point.
"It was discouraging to fall behind early but that team (CSUDH) is as good as anyone in our conference," said CUI head coach
Ken Ammann. "We want to win those games when it is a grind-it-out type of game and both teams go through stretches where it's tough to score. We have to learn how to win those types of games and that was a big one for us."
Without about eight minutes to play, Matt Weyand and
Cristian Butler each hit a clutch three-pointer. Those wound up being huge as the Green and Gold uncharacteristically missed multiple free throws down the stretch.
The Eagles (2-3) stayed in front the entire second half, but the Toros (2-3) had multiple chances to force overtime in the final minute of regulation. CUI secured the win thanks to a couple of defensive stops on the home team's last two possessions.
"Our bench played great and they really stepped up," said Ammann. "We weren't able to play everyone enough minutes in our preseason scrimmages but everyone keeps improving. Cam Fini keeps gaining confidence and getting better and better after missing last surgery due to injury.
Cristian Butler has provided a spark off the bench for three straight games now. It was a great team win."
Arnold finished with a team-high 29 points with an impressive shooting display (11-for-21) from the field. Knuckles and McCobb each added 11 points while the bench trio of Cam Fini (10 points), Butler (5 points) and Weyand were difference-makers.
The Eagles return home the day after Thanksgiving on Friday, Nov. 26 to face Bethesda at 3 p.m at CU Arena.
Admission is free over Thanksgiving break and the game against Bethesda will also be live streamed with live stats available online for fans unable to attend.
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