IRVINE, Calif. - The Sunbirds from Fresno Pacific University were in town to close out their SoCal road trip against the Golden Eagles in Saturday's homecoming contest.

The Golden Eagles have had recent success emphasizing their defensive skills on the court. It was a close game through the first quarter of play, but CUI was on top 13-11.

The Golden Eagles put together a defensive masterpiece as the second quarter was underway. Moving as one defensive unit, CUI held the Sunbirds to only scoring two points off free throws and dominated on the defensive end, making FPU shoot 0% from the field in the second quarter. Going into the half, the Golden Eagles led with a score of 24-13.

Coming back from halftime, the Sunbirds were now looking to try to make a comeback. FPU saw some buckets go in, and it was a whole new game to start the fourth quarter. The score was now tied at 35 a piece.

As the fourth quarter approached, head coach Christine Collins-Kiernan emphasized defense and to match FPU's physicality. "We really wanted to lock down their post players," said Erika Maggard. "We wanted to be physical with them and match their intensity, and I think we did that."

CUI, having a three-point lead the majority of the fourth quarter, was unable to push away from FPU until Erika Maggard got an offensive board and put it up and in for an and-1 opportunity. That bucket helped the Golden Eagles secure a win with a final score of 58-51.

Key contributors to the Golden Eagles in last night's contest was Izzy Navarro, who led all scorers with 15 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Savannah Felix-Amoroso had a near-double double, scoring 12 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and two assists. Justyce Harris created a great spark of energy, scoring nine points and grabbing two rebounds for the Golden Eagles.

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