IRVINE, Calif. – CUI women's basketball put up a strong effort on Friday but fell short to No. 23 PLNU, by a final score of 92-83.

At the end of the first quarter. the game was all tied up at 23-23 after CUI had built a 10-point lead. The Sea Lions came out strong during the second quarter and held the Eagles to scoring just 12 points while they managed to drop a solid 26. Going into half, the Green and Gold were down 35-49. CUI knew they needed to compete in this next half in order to earn the win.

The third quarter was dead even as both teams scored 22 points.  At the end of the third quarter the Eagles still had a deficit of 14 points.  CUI won the fourth quarter as they scored 26 and PLNU scored 21. Unfortunately, the damage done early was too deep and the Eagles had to settle with a close loss.

Katie Timmerman led the Eagles with 28 points which is a new career high! Timmerman was attacking the basket well and finding ways to score through the tough Sea Lion defense. She also grabbed five boards, a steal, and three assists.

"I feel like I was able to get it going by being aggressive to the basket and getting to the free throw line helped," said Timmerman about her offensive game on this night. "Once a couple went in, it opened up the outside shot and from there, I was just able to go to work and read what the defense was giving me. Also, by doing this, it opened the floor for the rest of the team to get good looks and get their shots to fall."

Another key player was Savannah Felix-Amoroso who earned a double-double and tied her career high in points! She dropped 14 points, scrapped up 10 boards, and got two blocks.

"I feel like I was working the boards well," said Felix-Amoroso. "My post ups were solid and towards the ball. My teammates were able to find me and get me the ball when I was scoring."

The Eagles will have a chance to bounce back Saturday on Feb. 13 at PLNU and try and end the weekend 1-1.

"For tomorrow, we just have to control the bleeding when they go on their runs," said Felix-Amoroso. "It's a game of runs. So, we need to try and stop them as soon as possible and then continue to push back our own. We need to know the scout report and play according to their individual strengths."

The Green and Gold will be looking to make some changes and earn this next win against PLNU. For the full Eagle schedule CLICK HERE!

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