Irvine, Calif. - The Golden Eagles fended off a gritty effort by the visiting Hope International Royals in Saturday's home exhibition, topping the visitors 66-60.
 
The game does not count for CUI in terms of stats and overall record as it was the final tune up for the squad before the regular season begins next week.
 
Jayce Catchings led the way with 18 points while adding a team-high nine rebounds as well.
 
Connor Gleason added 15 points and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. He had a crafty driving layup And-1 that helped cement the victory. 
 
Sophomore Kaden Minter also scored a dozen points. The transfer from Santa Ana CC had a couple big buckets down the stretch with a trey and a turnaround jumper on the baseline.
 
"I was very happy with the way we battled and played hard to find a way to get that win," said CUI head coach Ken Ammann. "That felt like a conference game. Hope is a very experienced team and always extremely well coached. They have a lot of returners and have already played a handful of games and that made it hard for us. I was really pleased with our second half effort and it is hard to get a lot of paint touches against them."
 
"They are physical and switch a lot on defense and it was very helpful to see that as we are going to see that a lot this year," added Ammann. "We need to keep getting better against that type of look so we can keep getting good shots. Our guys played a lot smoother and more confident in the second half and we were able to execute a lot better."
 
CUI visits Cal State LA on Friday at 5 p.m. PT in the season opener.
 
The home opener for CUI is next Saturday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. PT against Cal State San Marcos. 
 
CLICK HERE for the full CUI men's basketball schedule