IRVINE, Calif. – The CUI men's basketball team came from behind for an epic win against Azusa Pacific on Saturday night, completing the regular season with a 13-12 record. With the win, CUI claimed the number six seed in the upcoming PacWest Tournament, while also spoiling APU's hopes of earning the number one seed; which will now go to Point Loma.
 
Before the game, five seniors were honored for their accomplishments with the program: #4 Rodrick McCobb, #12 Joshua Caston, #14 Kayle Knuckles, #21 Matthew Weyand, and #22 Jalen Sanders.
 
The game itself featured a thrilling matchup between PacWest rivals, each fighting for a more favorable seed in the PacWest Tournament. Seniors Weyand and McCobb recorded eight and seven points respectively, while Caston (13 pts), Knuckles (13 pts), and Sanders (12 pts) each turned in double-digit performances.  
 
With all of the seniors individually putting on a show, the piece that put it all together was freshman Kobe Sanders. The Denver native led the offense with 17 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and two blocks en route to the win. He also recorded a season-high five treys in the game while shooting 55 percent beyond the arc.
 
The Eagles fought hard in the first half, keeping the score within four headed into half-time. They continued to keep the game close in the beginning of the second half, until APU began to pull away with a 12-point lead. Within the next three minutes, CUI immediately hit three treys from Knuckles and the Sanders brothers, narrowing the lead to just three with nine minutes remaining in the game.
 
After trading points with the Cougars, Concordia finally gained the lead with two minutes remaining in the game on a McCobb jumper inside the paint. The final blow came when Jalen Sanders hit a clutch three with 1:15 left on the clock, with the assist coming from none other than his brother Kobe. The Green & Gold held on to the lead to come away with one of their best wins of the year.  
 

Eagles win on Senior Night! With the win, @cuimbasketball claims the 6th spot in the PacWest Tournament and prevents APU from claiming the conference crown ?? #FresnoBound pic.twitter.com/KhwzbdLEid

— CUI Athletics (@cuieagles) February 27, 2022

Head Coach Ken Ammann now has 499 career wins and will look for win number 500 in the opening game of the PacWest Tournament. Concordia will take on three seed Biola in the first game on Wednesday, March 2^nd, at 12:30 PM.
 
CLICK HERE to buy TICKETS to the PacWest Conference Championships which will be hosted by Fresno Pacific University from Thursday, March 3 through Saturday, March 5.