LA MIRADA, Calif. - On Saturday evening the Concordia University Irvine women's basketball team faced off against the Eagles of Biola. The Golden Eagles looked to bounce back from a tough loss to Azusa and end the week with a win.

This game not only was set to be a heated matchup between two PacWest rivals, it also was Stephanie Lee's first time back at Biola since she transferred to Concordia.

Lee remarked, "It was definitely different returning as an opponent and sitting on the opposing sides bench but I was also happy to return. I am really comfortable in the Biola gym and it felt nostalgic."

In the first quarter, Concordia and Biola traded blows with neither squad finding momentum to build on. It was not until the second period of action that the Eagles were able to outscore CUI 25-11 giving them a 12 point lead heading into halftime.

Concordia knew they needed to create stops and generate some offense if they were to successfully mount a comeback. Thankfully, Stephanie Lee made her former team pay from beyond the arc. Her sharpshooting became a headache for Biola's defense as they abandoned the paint in order to neutralize her. Jasmine Rachal and Savannah Felix-Amoroso were able to take advantage of this and help close the gap heading into the fourth quarter. Late in the final minutes of the game, the Golden Eagles were able to cut their deficit to three and were looking for another stop before Biola could put the game on ice.

The Golden Eagles were able to force a Biola turnover and Lee would make them pay, hitting a huge three-pointer to tie the game. Both teams looked for a knockout blow and the Eagles had a chance with the last possession of the game. Fortunately for the Golden Eagles Felix-Amoroso would deny Laila Walker's buzzer beater, sending the game into overtime.

CUI would run away with the game in overtime outscoring Biola 13-4. Erika Maggard proved to be an X-factor in the paint grabbing three huge rebounds for the Golden Eagles. Concordia was also clutch from the charity stripe, converting on seven of their eight free throw attempts.

When the dust finally settled, the Golden Eagles were able to come away with the 72-63 win. This moved them to a solid 3-1 record in PacWest play trailing only nationallu-ranked APU and Hawai'i Pacific. Concordia's Lee led the squad with a season-high 17 points in what proved to be a memorable homecoming game.

"This was definitely a really big win for us especially after Wednesday's loss," said Lee. "This win gave us the confidence boost that we needed and showed that we are a strong team moving forward with the rest of this season."

To see the full CUI women's basketball schedule CLICK HERE

CUI will be at home this Saturday, Dec. 17 at 5:00 p.m. against Azusa Pacific and look to finish their last two games of 2022 on a high note.