AZUSA, Calif. – Eagles came out on top after a back-and-forth game against Azusa Pacific.

The lead changed eight times during the matchup against the Eagles and Cougars with the score being 26-24 going into halftime, CUI lead. The Cougars had a strong third quarter as they scored 18 points and held CUI to 13 which gave APU the lead going into the fourth, 39-42. In the fourth quarter multiple players stepped up and helped to secure the win at 62-57.

"It feels really good to get back into the win column," said Michaela VanderKlugt. "We were all hungry for a win. So, it was nice to get that tonight."

The Eagles were coming off a few tough losses in a row and were ready to earn a win.

"We have been going through growing pains and that just means we are figuring stuff out," said head coach Christine Collins-Kiernan. "How to be player led, how to execute in chaos, how to be resilient when adversity hits. We have had our ups and downs in all of that but somehow we keep finding a way to show up for each other and it is the only thing I'm interested in growing here."

In the game against APU Kennedy Fulcher came up big in the fourth as she grabbed a defensive rebound and then went down the court and scored a trey ball to tie the game up at 42-42. That was about one minute into the fourth and was the first score of the quarter and gave CUI some momentum. With 5:26 left in the game Camryn Kiernan passes off a nice ball to Fulcher who tied the game up again at 48-48. Fulcher grabbed another defensive rebound and Kiernan gets the ball. Kiernan finds Katie Timmerman who knocked down a huge three which gave CUI the lead, 51-48. Kiernan, a freshman, stepped up and was finding the right teammates to get the ball to and putting them in positions to score.

"This week we got back to basics," said VanderKlugt. "We knew we had to do the little things to be successful. We did them for the most part tonight, but we need to be better tomorrow and come home with another win!"

Timmerman scored all seven of her points during the last five minutes of the fourth quarter when the Eagles needed that boost the most. She shot two free throws with 18 seconds left on the game clock and knocked them both down to help secure the Eagle win! Savannah Felix-Amoroso led the team in rebounds and has been a great presence on the boards as she picked up 13, three being offensive to give the Eagles second chance opportunities. Leading the Eagles with 29 points and nine rebounds was VanderKlugt. She went 100% from both the free throw line and the three ball. Her efficiency for the game was a positive 32 which was the highest from both teams.

"Michaela has had to figure out how to be successful when everyone in the gym is against her," said Collins-Kiernan. "It is not easy to adjust for that, to take into account you don't get much of anything even half open. Her teammates have been incredibly invested in being there for her, filling gaps and taking the load off her shoulders. When her teammates do that, it allows for her to be BIG in big moments and today she was."

The Eagles ended their three-game losing streak and are back on track to begin their win streak as they host APU on Feb. 20. For the full Eagle Schedule CLICK HERE!

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