IRVINE, Calif. – In what could be a potential playoff preview, the Concordia Golden Eagles and Cal Poly Pomona Broncos battled to the bitter end Thursday night in a tight non-conference match up.

It certainly felt like a playoff game and there were many impressive performances by both squads.

Concordia had four players in double figures and built an eight-point lead by halftime.

The Golden Eagles led for most of the contest and were up by two with under three minutes left to play. The men were in position to nab their third straight victory before the Broncos eked it out in the final minutes.

Kaden Minter scored 11 of Concordia's first 13 points by draining three treys with zero hesitation.  CUI moved the ball well with crisp passing to combat Cal Poly Pomona's aggressive zone defense. For most of the game, CUI solved the challenges that the Broncos presented.

Minter finished with a team-high 17 points. Jayce Catchings added 16 with a number of strong drives to the basket as he drew contact with regularity.  Connor Gleason helped the cause with a dozen points on 5-of-11 shooting while Charlie Dalton contributed eight points and seven boards.

CUI shot over 65 percent in the first half, but CPP also shot 60 percent in the first 20 minutes.

Both teams missed a handful of free throws as CUI went just 14-of-21 from the charity stripe. The Broncos also missed five of their own.

Cal Poly Pomona was led by Demarreya Lewis-Cooper and his 22 points that led all scorers. Caleb Nelson added 19 points and he shot 5-for-7 from three-point land.

The Golden Eagles are right back at it on Saturday after one day off in between games. CUI hosts Cal Lutheran at 6 p.m. as part of the first hoops doubleheader of the school year.

The CUI women's basketball home opener is at 4 p.m. against Cal Poly Humboldt before the men's contest.

CLICK HERE for the full CUI men's basketball schedule