The men’s basketball team started their new year by dominating Point Loma on Jan. 1 on our home court. The Eagles defeated Point Loma 72 points to 66 points. It was sweet payback as the Eagles came short against the Sea Lions four times last season.

 “They got us four times last season and we needed to play well enough to beat them,” said Coach Ken Ammann. The highlight of the game was graduate student Josh Caston who has been a star this season who led the scoring sheets by 22 points against Point Loma. The 22 points were special for Caston as it was his third highest scoring record this season. Caston has also been on the run for breaking personal records this season, also scoring career-highs 23 and 24 points in earlier games.

The win meant a lot to Caston and his teammates. In a post-game interview, Caston said, “Obviously it means a lot when looking at regional ranking and against one of the top teams.” He added, “This is special and especially for me but I do not want to make it about me.”

Another star that shined against Point Loma was junior Wayne Arnold. Arnold was only second to Caston against Point Loma where he scored 19 points. This was not a surprising score for Arnold, who has been a scoring machine throughout the season and is averaging 23 points per game which is the highest amongst his teammates. 

The game would not have been a success without the efforts and rebounds of senior Jalen Sanders and graduate student Rodrick McCobb. Sanders led the team in rebounds by nine and McCobb came right behind him with eight rebounds against the Sea Lions.

The win against the Sea Lions did not come without luck for our basketball team. Point Loma played against the Eagles missing their point guard. 

“They were a little out of rhythm not having their point guard and we defended hard but Kaden Anderson is as good a player as you will see and they are a good team,” said Ammann.

The Eagles’ record stands 4-4 in PacWest with 10 games to go. The success of the season will depend not only on Arnold’s and Caston’s abilities to make baskets, but it will also require the continued ability to rebound by the team. 

On Mon. Jan. 24 the Eagles will take on Hawaii Hilo in the CUI arena. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. but will not have general admission due to local health guidelines. Only preapproved spectators will be allowed. To continue supporting your Eagles follow them on their Instagram page @cuimbasketball. 

Tags: Men's Athletics, Alexander Carr

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