La Mirada, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine Golden Eagles surged past the Westminster Griffins on Saturday afternoon to pick up their first win of the season, 89–74.
The matchup was held at nearby Biola University as part of a two-day non-conference tournament. Ashari Cassell led the way with a breakout performance, erupting for 29 points, including four made three-pointers, while also adding four assists and four steals to anchor the Golden Eagles on both ends.
Myia Collins provided a powerful scoring complement, totaling 17 points and nine rebounds while knocking down all four of her attempts from beyond the arc. Collins' inside-out versatility kept Westminster off balance throughout the afternoon and helped CUI sustain a strong offensive flow, particularly during an explosive 25-point second quarter effort.
Camryn Kiernan added 15 points and two three-pointers, while junior point guard Hannah Vela contributed eight points and three assists along with steady defensive play and floor leadership. Concordia's bench also played an important role, combining for 20 points, with key minutes from Allison Shumate, Cadence Tarrant, and Asia Darcuiel.
With their first weekend complete and a 1–1 overall record, the Golden Eagles showed promising growth in areas such as ball movement, perimeter shooting, and developing rotation depth — all signs of an upward trajectory early in the season. Head coach Christine Collins-Kiernan praised the team's performance, saying, "I think we have a really young and inexperienced team and we are playing a way different style than we've played the last three years. On Friday, we executed perfectly in the first quarter and today (Saturday) we executed well in the second half. I think the maturity showed in our returning players. Camryn had a really good game and Ashari and Myia, who both have a lot of good experience at the college level, also really stepped up and stabilized us on both sides of the ball. Plus, Hannah has been such a good workhorse for us and captains our defense basically, and I think as we get more people to chip in and do all those things, I think this will be a very exciting team to watch."
Next up for CUI is the home opener on Friday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. against Western Washington, kicking off a two-day tournament hosted at CU Arena featuring four women's programs: CUI, Western Washington, Azusa Pacific, and Seattle Pacific. Friday's opener will feature APU vs. SPU at 3 p.m., followed by CUI–WWU at 5 p.m.
Tournament play continues on Saturday with CUI hosting Seattle Pacific at 3 p.m., following APU vs. WWU at 1 p.m.The day will also feature a basketball triple header , as Concordia's men's team is scheduled to tip off immediately after the women at 5 p.m. against Cal State San Bernardino.
CLICK HERE for the full CUI women's basketball schedule
