FRESNO, Calif. – Nearly everything went right for Concordia University Irvine on Thursday as the Golden Eagles swept the season series with the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds by cruising to an 80-67 victory.
Concordia clamped down on defense in the first half and held FPU to only four total points in the entire second period. After outscoring the Sunbirds 26-4 in that second frame, Concordia led 46-16 at the break.
CUI led by as many as 32 in the third quarter and was able to spread out playing time down the stretch.
The Green and Gold also shot a blistering 50 percent from downtown (10-for-20 on three-pointers) and a solid 12-for-14 at the free throw line.
Camryn Kiernan went on a scoring tear and poured in a career-high 25 points. This included going 6-for-9 on three-pointers. The six triples are also a personal best for the graduate student.
"Seeing my first two shots go in definitely gave me the confidence to keep shooting and get into an offensive groove," said Kiernan. "We moved the ball really well and that led to great open shots for us!"
Kiernan's previous career-best in the scoring column was 19 points
in CUI's big home win over Azusa Pacific earlier this season.
"It was very rewarding to get our first big road win, especially at FPU," added Kiernan. "It is a very hard place to play in but our fans and family travel well and brought a lot of support."
Current PacWest Defender of the Week Genesis Hopkins turned in another strong performance as well, securing her third double-double in her past four games. She scored 12 points and hauled in a career-high 17 rebounds while filling up the entire stat sheet. The sophomore racked up multiple blocks for the 11th straight outing.
True freshman
Asia Darcuiel dominated in the mid-range and added a dozen points.
The outcome was never in doubt, even though FPU trimmed the large lead in the fourth quarter to draw within 13 for the final margin.
"This is a place that's traditionally been a tough environment to win in, so tonight's victory was an important step in learning how to build resilience and consistency on the road," explained CUI head coach
Christine Collins-Kiernan. "We played one of the best halves of basketball we've had all year, and at the same time it showed us areas where we still need to grow—when you get a fast start you have to finish strong. With a young team, these lessons are incredibly valuable, and this group of student-athletes truly values coaching, feedback, and getting better every day. Camryn had a great game and brought the fire on both ends of the floor that you expect from an experienced player. A road win is always a big win, and this one means a lot for our growth moving forward."
The dominating victory means that CUI has now defeated APU, Dominican and first-place Vanguard already this season and now won both meetings with Fresno Pacific.
CUI continues its road trip up north with a Saturday matinee coming up at Jessup. After returning to Irvine briefly, the Golden Eagles will then head to Hawaii to play a pair out on the islands.
CLICK HERE for the full CUI women's basketball schedule
After completing this stretch of four road games, the Golden Eagles will play their next home game on Thursday, Jan 29 at 5 p.m. PT against Jessup.
CLICK HERE for the updated PacWest women's basketball standings
