IRVINE, Calif. — The Azusa Pacific Cougars (4-4, 1-1 PacWest) couldn't keep pace with the Concordia University Irvine Golden Eagles (3-4, 1-1 PacWest) on Saturday night, dropping a conference matchup, 67-53, inside the CU Arena. Despite showing flashes of offensive potential, the Cougars struggled with consistency, committing 26 turnovers that the Golden Eagles readily converted into 18 points.

The game was decided early, with CUI jumping out to a massive 27-15 lead after the first quarter. While APU managed to tighten up defensively in the second period, holding Concordia to just eight points, the damage was already done. The Cougars struggled to regain momentum after halftime. While the teams played evenly in the final quarter, APU never managed to bring the deficit back to single digits.

Sophomore guard Lauren Jones stood out for the Cougars, tallying a team-high 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including two three-pointers. Jones, who also hit 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, accounted for nearly 30% of the Cougars' total points.
Forward Rachel Roderick provided toughness in the paint, leading the team with six rebounds, including four offensive boards, and adding 5 points and two blocks. From the bench, Elyse Mitchell provided a necessary scoring spark, dropping 12 points while connecting on three 3-pointers.

The story of the night for Azusa Pacific was efficiency. They shot just 33.9% from the field (20-of-59) and struggled from beyond the arc, hitting only 5-of-24 attempts (20.8%). Concordia, conversely, demonstrated slightly better efficiency and control, capitalizing on Azusa Pacific's mistakes to secure its first PacWest victory of the season.

The Cougars will need to regroup quickly as they look to protect their home court in their next PacWest contest against Chaminade.