IRVINE, Calif. - The Concordia University Irvine men's basketball gave No. 8 Point Loma Nazarene a scare on Friday evening, pushing the undefeated Sea Lions down the stretch.
After falling behind by 13, CUI rallied and cut the deficit to a one-possession game in the last two minutes of regulation.
Kayle Knuckles scored 21 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead the CUI offense. Freshmen
Mac Stodart (12 points) and
Drew Ramirez (11 points) also hit some big shots to help the cause.
"We were better tonight, but we've got way more in us," said CUI head coach
Ken Ammann. "I think the guys are seeing that, but we've just got to lock in and not lose focus. I was proud of them. We were playing from behind the entire game and we had struggled to score for the first half, but I was really proud of them for hanging in there and continuing to grind. We gave ourselves a chance to come back."
Concordia's bench outscored Point Loma 24-16. The Eagles also held the Sea Lions to just 15 percent shooting from downtown (2-for-13).
Knuckles was able to manuever his way behind Point Loma's zone defense on backdoor cuts to sneak in for some layups throughout the contest. Fellow Colorado native and former high school teammate
Jalen Sanders was able to thread the needle on multiple occasions to Knuckles, and Sanders and Ramirez each ended up with five assists.
"Kayle is always steady and reliable and he played well," said Ammann. "That's what he does. Really pleased with the young freshmen we've got, they're improving so much and they're playing with great energy. Ramirez and Mac are just getting better every game and helping set a foundation for the future."
Brock Mackenzie was one of five Sea Lions in double figures and led the visitors with 19 points.
It's a quick turnaround for both teams as this unorthodox season continues on Saturday with the rematch down in San Diego. Point Loma will host CUI at 4:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's contest, which is slated to tip at 2:00 p.m. from Gold Gymnasium.
CUI will be home again next Saturday, Feb. 20 as part of a doubleheader against Azusa Pacific at 4:30 p.m.
#CUITogether
