IRVINE, Calif. - In a matinee match up featuring Golden Eagles all over the court, it was Concordia in the home white jerseys that overcame its visiting Cal State Los Angeles counterparts 77-62 by pulling away in the second half.
Four starters finished in double figures in Concordia's home opener, led by guard Macarhy Morris. The transfer from Lewis-Clark State racked up 16 points while also chipping in four rebounds.
Nicholas Corbett had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds including six offensive boards, while
Marcellus Edwards impressed with 15 points in the home opener.
A key sequence that secured the victory for the home team was late in the second half when Edwards spun near the free throw lane, saw a brief glimpse of daylight and converted a tough left-handed layup in traffic. Cal State LA pushed the pace on the ensuing inbound play but fiCUI's
Kaden Minter came up with a steal and sealed the deal with a breakaway dunk for the exclamation point.
Minter finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and a career-high four steals.
Radek Homer also did a fantastic job thwarting the visitors offense at the point of attack. The box score showed him with five points, two steals and a block but the eye test showed that he was also a critical part of CUI's success. Newcomer
Blake Ballard and sophomore point guard
Kevin Haupt each chipped in by knocking down a trey off the bench.
Ultimately, CUI improved to 2-0 with a hard-fought 15-point victory
one day after fending off Cal State San Marcos in overtime on Friday
Next up for CUI is a Tuesday road trip to Cal Poly Pomona for another interesting battle with a CCAA opponent. The Golden Eagles will face the Broncos atÂ
The next home game will be next Saturday, Nov. 22 against Cal State San Bernardino. That game will be part of a hoops tripleheader in Irvine as the CUI women's basketball team is hosting a non-conference tournament earlier that day at 1pm and 3pm, followed by the men's contest at 5 pm with the 'Yotes.
CLICK HERE for the full CUI men's basketball schedule
