IRVINE, Calif. – During an exciting day on campus that included the induction of the 2024 Hall of Fame Class of CUI Athletics, the Concordia men's basketball team tangled with a feisty Fresno Pacific team.

Saturday's contest was a rematch in Irvine after CUI had topped the Sunbirds less than two weeks prior out in Fresno. Despite a rare rainy day outside in Southern California, both teams struggled to pour in three-pointers in the gym as defense ruled the day.

Ultimately, the visitors wearing orange jumped in front early and were able to fend off late charges by the home squad for a 66-60 victory.

Tim Adetukasi scored 16 points to lead the Golden Eagles. Freddie Dybala and Charlie Dalton each chipped in with 12 points apiece while Jackson Tucker finished with four steals.  Dybala also shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor.

Fresno Pacific opened up a 13-point advantage barely a minute into the second half but Concordia came roaring back. Kobe Sanders sparked a 10-0 run that included a pair of layups and two free throws. Sanders fed Dalton for a bucket in the paint and Adetukasi also converted a shot to help the cause during that surge.

A pair of free throws by Dalton brought Concordia within three points at 52-49 with just over six minutes to go in regulation.

One key reason why FPU escaped with the victory was three-point shooting. Jackson Tucker made CUI's only trey with under two minutes to go in the game.  While CUI limited the Sunbirds to only four triples themselves, FPU held CUI to just 1-for-13 shooting from behind the arc and outrebounded the hosts 32-23.

"We talked about how tough a team Fresno Pacific is and they've struggled all season but kept battling and competing, and working to get better - and they have," admitted CUI head coach Ken Ammann. "We knew they weren't happy the last time we played them and we were probably the more physical team up their at their place and we talked about how they were going to do everything they could to flip that - and they did. Credit to them, they haven't hung their heads all year and now they've beaten three good teams in a row (Point Loma and APU earlier this month). We thought we were ready but apparently we weren't ready enough."

Up next for Concordia is a road trip to Northern California that includes stops in San Francisco and San Rafael. The Golden Eagles will face Academy of Art on Thursday, Jan. 25 at Kezar Pavilion and then visit the Dominican Penguins on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Ice Box.

The Golden Eagles will then be back home again on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. against their rivals from Biola following the women's contest. We look forward to seeing you back in the arena for our "Beat Biola" t-shirt giveaway!

CLICK HERE for the updated CUI men's basketball schedule

CLICK HERE for the updated PacWest Conference men's basketball standings