HILO, Hawai'i. - On Saturday evening the Concordia University Irvine women's basketball closed out their week in the Aloha State against the Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans. The Golden Eagles looked to build their winning streak to six after a dominant victory over Chaminade.
In the first half, Teagan Thurman proved to be a menace on both sides of the paint. The sophomore forward headed into halftime with a 16 point and 10 rebound double-double in her contribution to the CUI's nine point lead.
"I am really trying to focus on improving my defensive game and making every minute count while keeping it simple on the offensive end," said Thurman. "Our coaches have stressed guards getting it into the post and working on the inside-out game which has been working for us."
Even after the Vulcans shifted their defense in an attempt to corral Thurman's stellar production, a new threat emerged for Hilo. After a tough night shooting last game and entering the third quarter with an efficient nine points, Jasmine Rachal would dominate the rest of the contest. The veteran guard would score over 52% of the Golden Eagles second half points. This outstanding performance featured 12 points in the final frame that would put the game on ice for CUI.
"I definitely was struggling to get a rhythm against Chaminade but sometimes that happens," said Rachal. "I understand that it can be a different person's night every time we play and that's why we are on a six-game winning streak. We are super versatile and deep this year which makes us hard to beat!"
Thanks to some big performances, the Golden Eagles were able to leave Hawai'i with a 84-79 win. Rachal would lead all CUI players with 30 points off an outrageous 75% field goal percentage and also converted on 11 of her 13 free throws. Meanwhile Thurman built on her second double-double in three games and finished with 23 points along with a season-high 17 boards.
According to the stats, the Golden Eagles had one of their best team shooting performances. Not only did CUI shoot well above fifty percent from the field and from beyond the arc. Concordia made 24 of their 29 free throws, nearly 7% better than their season average of 75%.
The Golden Eagles move to a very impressive 8-1 in PacWest play and build their winning streak to six games. This win also marks the first time they have swept all three Hawaii schools since the 2017-18 season.
Rachal remarked, " It felt great to come to the islands and handle business. As I mentioned, this team is super deep. I think we have been in previous years but we have a lot of veteran players that have experienced tons of crunch-time situations and I think that's what truly sets us apart."
By being the first squad to reach eight conference wins, CUI is now leading the pack as the regular season heats up. With that being said the Golden Eagles know the job is far from finished.
"I think these three wins are huge for us since it hasn't been done in a long time and shows that we can compete with anyone in the league," added Thurman. "We as a team are really happy to get it done on the road and have a very important game to start preparing for against Point Loma."
To see the full CUI women's basketball schedule CLICK HERE.
CUI will be back in Irvine this Saturday, Jan. 14 at 5 p.m. as they look to win their seventh consecutive game in a big matchup against Point Loma.
