The thick of college basketball is underway as both Concordia teams look to make a push for the playoffs. The men’s and women’s teams are sitting just above a 0.500 record as we enter into the home stretch. 

The men’s team currently sits at 9-7, after a strong 5-1 start. This start includes an instrumental 75-66 win against Cal State San Bernardino. 

“We knew it was going to be a gritty win and we came out here, and we battled…,” said sophomore Kevin Haupt. “We weathered the storm, we fought as a team, and we did what we were supposed to do,” Haupt added.

The men are averaging 71.1 points of offense per game, but their real strength this year has been their defense. They are averaging 68.8 points per game, which would be a school best in the Division II era. 

Junior MaCarhy Morris and junior Kaden Minter lead the team in scoring with 17.2 and 14.3 points, respectively. Sophomore Nick Corbett has dominated the paint with 7.1 rebounds per game and seven total blocks on the season. 

Redshirt sophomore Radek Homer has also been a well-rounded contributor with 4.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while also leading the team with 24 steals. Junior Marcellus Edwards is second with 23 steals. 

Individual success, both among the starters and the bench players, has been instrumental. “We all know that we all can [score],” said Haupt, “but we all love sharing the ball.”

The men opened up their conference games on fire with a 4-0 win, but sequentially lost four straight. After a win against Jessup, they find themselves at 5-4 in conference play. 

With a quick succession of games, including a trip to Hawaii, they look to complete their turnaround and compete for a PacWest Championship. 

Make sure to support them at their next home game at 7:15 p.m. on Jan. 29, which will be their second matchup against Jessup. 

The women’s team has also been a defensive powerhouse, averaging 64.3 points against per game. This is thanks in large part to sophomore Genesis Hopkins, who has been named as the Defensive Player of the Week twice in a row this season. 

“Defense is something I have always valued, and it's my favorite way to impact the game,” said Hopkins. “Coach Collins has drilled into each player since August the importance of defense... Once I stopped worrying about the points I was putting up and focused on all the other ways I was impacting the game, my defense fueled my offense.” 

Hopkins is currently averaging 7.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 steals and a whopping 2.7 blocks per game. 

Freshman Asia Darcuiel leads the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game. Graduate student Camryn Kiernan leads the team with 31, while junior Hannah Vela leads the team in steals with 25. 

Senior Kayla Cabaccang has also been a great contributor off the bench with 21 assists and 6 steals in 12.9 minutes per game. 

The team has key players from top to bottom, and the sky is the limit for them. 

“I am excited to see all the talented people on our team keep developing,” said Hopkins. “I don't think our team has reached our full potential and that we will be even more dangerous when we do. I am just looking forward to the time I get to spend with everyone on and off the court, and for many more upsets to come.”

Despite their strengths, the women still find themselves at 8-7, with Hopkins stating, “Our struggle has been our third quarter performance. If we can learn how to come out like our best selves after half, I see nothing stopping us from reaching all our goals.” 

They will look to do just that as they are coming off of a two-game conference winning streak. Come support our women’s team as they aim to make the playoffs and compete for a PacWest championship. 

The ladies’next home game is at 7:15 p.m. on Jan. 29 against Jessup University. Stay up to date with both teams on Instagram @cuimbasketball and @cuiwbb.

Tags: Alexander Carr, women's athletics

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