IRVINE, Calif. – The short trek down the I-405 was another instant classic in this rivalry's history, with Vanguard (8-4, 4-2) coming out on top over the Golden Eagles of Concordia (8-5, 5-2) by a final score of 59-56.

Vanguard had three players score in double-figures in the low-scoring affair, with Erik Howlin pacing the bunch with 16 points (7-16 FG) and seven rebounds. Bryson Metz chipped in with 12 points of his own, while also demonstrating his fortitude yet again by corralling eight rebounds to tie Dylan Swillis for a game-high.

The Lions were able to snatch victory despite losing the assist battle and turnover battle, albeit by slim margins. VU did outrebound Concordia 37-25 for their third-best margin of the season at +12. Vanguard also completely changed their recipe in the second-half, shooting 2-3 from three in the final 20 minutes after going 0-7 in the opening frame (2-10 3PT on the game). The battle in the paint was won by VU, 36-24.

The Golden Eagles, who entered the contest in first place in the PacWest standings, were led by Morris Macarhy's 17 points. He was the only player to score in double-figures.

What Happened?:

Out of the gate, VU and CUI traded blows. Both teams, who entered as the highest-ranked defenses in the PacWest, lived up to their billing, with the physicality and defensive harassment making it difficult to score. The early lack of offense also could be attributed to fatigue, as the under-16 media did not come until 13:12 due to a lack of dead balls. However, once the respite did come, it was knotted 9-9 thanks to a triple by Nick Corbett of CUI—his first of the season.

Both teams turned to their bench from there to try to kickstart their sputtering offenses. Devin Carson and Dylan Swillis both got on the board quickly to help VU edge up, 16-14. In the midst of all of this was a rowdy student-section lathered in Green and Gold that kept waiting to explode for the home side. The opportunity finally came beginning at the 4:50 mark when Macarhy's layup started an 8-0 run for the Golden Eagles, catapulted by a Ben Krystkowiak triple to give CUI a 27-20 lead with 2:38 left in the first half. It was Macarhy again right before the buzzer to send CUI into the break with a 31-23 advantage.

However, Vanguard had a response.

Whatever was said in the bowels of CU Arena by Coach Rhett Soliday worked because the Blue and Gold came out hot, going on an 11-0 run to force a timeout by the opposition. That run featured an assault on the paint by Howlin and company, with a Kailen Rains triple sprinkled in to make it 34-31.

After Macarhy helped CUI respond to take a 35-34 lead with 13:42 to play, the rest of the way was simply a bludgeoning of sorts, as neither side could generate a run for the next five minutes, with nine lead changes in that span. Dylan Swillis had a quick four points to give VU their largest lead up to that point at 46-43 heading into the under-eight media.

With every possession being critical henceforth, a Metz triple helped Vanguard break another tie, this time making it 51-48 with under five-and-a-half minutes remaining. More whittling was done by both teams, as the lead changes racked up to a whopping 22 times to go along with nine other occasions where the score was deadlocked. Kailen Rains finally gave Vanguard their last lead of the night on a fastbreak layup from Aibigho Ujadughele to make it 55-53 with 2:30 to go.

But Vanguard turned back to the bench when it mattered the most, with Swillis offering a crucial tip-in off a Rains miss with 1:43 to play to keep CUI three points away at 57-54.

After a great one-on-one contest by Swillis on a Macarhy drive down the lane-line, Metz corralled another board, and the foul game was on. The career 87.4% FT shooter in Metz sunk both with 19 seconds left, but Concordia scored a layup within four seconds to get it back to three. A CUI trap on the ensuing inbound forced Vanguard to burn their last timeout, leaving just 10 seconds left.

Out of the timeout, another solid trap on the sideline induced a jump-ball, with the arrow giving the Golden Eagles one last gasp. Krystkowiak's three to force OT came up short, and Vanguard escaped with their fourth PacWest win of the season.

Kaden Minter, who is one of the Top-6 scorers in the Conference, was held to just six points—in large part due to another tenacious performance by Boogie Ujadughele.

After the contest finished, a brief skirmish began between the two sides, but nothing major came about, and the two sides were able to shake hands amicably.

Of note: This was the fifth straight game in the series-history to be decided by single-digits, including last year's contest in "The Nest" that saw Vanguard come back to win late. This does not include the exhibition from 2021 that also came down to the wire in the Pit.

It was the sixth time this season that Vanguard held an opponent to below 70 points.

Metz' eight rebounds was his most since his career-high 13 at Hawaii Pacific last season.

What Was Said?: " That was a hard-nosed gritty battle and both teams had a high level of fight in that game," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "So many plays were made that led to  runs by both teams, and honestly either team could have pulled away in the final few minutes. We were fortunate that we made a few more plays down the stretch. There were some incredible individual efforts at both ends of the floor.  The ones that stand out to me were some key finishes by multiple: Erik, Kailen, Tony, Dylan late, along with a huge 3 by Bryson. But, the biggest individual effort of the night was Boogie's defense on Minter, who is one of the toughest match-ups in the conference. He absolutely emptied the tank and displayed the kind of toughness it takes to win big games."

What's Next?: The Blue and Gold make their trip to Hawaii to face all three PacWest opponents from the region. They open with Chaminade (Tuesday, 9:30PM PT), having dropped to them 76-67 a month ago in the Freed. VU went 0-2 on their Hawaii trip last year and will be looking to avenge those defeats.