Box Score WESTWOOD, Calif. – Playing in the house that John Wooden built on Wednesday evening, the Concordia University Irvine men's basketball team took its first step towards what this group believes will be a season to remember.

Normally, playing an exhibition game rarely gets much fanfare.  But in their first action against an opponent in front of fans this season, CUI faced off with the nationally-ranked UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion.  It was only the second time in the program's history that Concordia has played the Bruins.

Cam Fini drained the first three-pointer of the night for CUI and he was one of six Golden Eagles to can at least one trey. Both teams started slowly on the offensive end and Concordia was in a dogfight early on.  Both teams were scrapping for rebounds and trying to find a rhythm in the half-court offense. UCLA made a surge before intermission to grab a 45-28 lead and ultimately prevailed 93-63.

"It's really a good opportunity for the program," said CUI head coach Ken Ammann. "UCLA is a Top 10 team, and they've had some great runs in the last couple of years. There are some great players over there, so there were some great lessons learned. We had some tough stretches where we didn't play defense. This is why we play these games, and they [UCLA] would say the same thing. We play these games to work on things on the floor."

Lance Coleman II led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 23 points.  The grad transfer from CSUN knocked down six treys before the night was done.

Bryce Fitzgerald and guard Kobe Sanders also finished in double figures.  Freshman Jackson Tucker and newcomer Alpha Okoli also sank at least one jumper and can say they scored a bucket at fabled Pauley Pavilion.

The Golden Eagles earned respect from the UCLA coaching staff and players including Bruins head coach Mick Cronin. 

NBA prospect Jaime Jaquez Jr. is a redshirt senior for the Bruins and both of his parents are former Concordia basketball players. Jaime Jaquez Sr. and Angela Sather (Jaquez) played multiple seasons for Concordia in the mid-1990s.

"Yes, this was very special," said Jaquez Jr., who scored 25 points.  "Both my mom and dad played there; my mom is in the Hall of Fame at Concordia. So to be able to go out there and beat their alma mater was pretty cool. Just to have that experience, being able to see their son go to UCLA and be able to play against their former college was a special moment that I'm sure they enjoyed."

CUI hosts Vanguard in an exhibition this Saturday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. before opening up the regular season the following Saturday at Cal State Los Angeles.