Concordia men’s basketball team captures home opener, topping Antelope Valley 74-65 for third straight win

Concordia University Irvine senior Brian Chambers scored 24 points and added nine assists and four steals against Antelope Valley.

After playing its first seven games of the year away from CU Arena, the Concordia University Irvine men’s basketball team took care of business in its home opener Saturday against Antelope Valley winning 74-65.

In the process, the Eagles secured their third straight victory and improved to 4-4 overall with PacWest Conference action just around the corner.

Concordia’s Brian Chambers led all scorers with 24 points on Saturday. The senior guard added nine assists and four steals and sank all seven of his free throw attempts for good measure.

“I was just trying to do everything I could for my team and whether it’s offense or defense I’m willing to do it,” said Chambers, who finished with a game-best plus/minus rating of plus 17.

The Eagles out-rebounded the Pioneers, 38-27 and also went a perfect 14-for-14 at the charity stripe as a team.

“It’s definitely helped us improving as a team this year making free throws,” said Concordia Coach Ken Ammann. “Going 100 percent from the line covered up some glaring mistakes that could have cost us today.”

Both teams shot well in the first half, with the Pioneers making exactly half of their field goals (13-for-26) and the Eagles converting 52 percent of their shots from the floor (14-for-27).  CUI needed a 3-pointer by Jamel White with just a couple seconds left on the clock to head into intermission tied at 37.

Midway through the second half, Chambers and fellow senior Tyler Lacour stepped up and personally oversaw an 11-0 run which gave the Eagles some breathing room.

Lacour hit a jumper to break a 53-53 tie and then Chambers converted four straight free throws to push the lead to six, 59-53. Lacour then sank a three-pointer before Chambers came up with a steal and swooped in for a breakaway layup.  The last part of that sequence forced Antelope Valley to call a timeout with the Eagles in command, 64-53.

“In that stretch, I felt like whether we missed it or we made a shot, we were just going to get a stop (on defense),” added Chambers. “We were going to do anything we could to get a stop and once we capitalized on a few of their turnovers it made it easier to score the ball.”

The Eagles led by at least five points the rest of the way and White iced the game with four free throws in the final minute to end any chance of a comeback.

Geoff Gerlach finished with 11 points and five rebounds while White and Rob Taylor each chipped in with nine points.

Concordia’s defense forced a total of 24 turnovers which led to 26 points. The Eagles only turned the ball over 11 times which was a credit to their patience on the offensive end.

“We had a little better intensity as a team on the defensive end in the second half but we need to compete at a higher level next week on the road as we begin conference play,” added Ammann. “We tried to move the ball and make good decisions on offense but we need to do a better job there also. We’ve come a long way in the last several weeks but the real season begins on Thursday and we need to be ready.

Concordia opens up PacWest Conference play on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Dominican.  The Eagles will then make their way to Academy of Art for a Saturday contest on Dec. 1 at 3:30 p.m. before returning for their next home game on Wednesday, Dec. 5 against Azusa Pacific.

That Dec. 5 matchup with APU will be the first PacWest doubleheader of the season at CU Arena with the Concordia women’s basketball team first playing the rival Cougars at 5:30 p.m. with the men’s game to follow at approximately 7:30 p.m.

-Courtesy Ben Rosehart