Irvine, CA – The Cougars opened the 2026-27 season in Irvine, falling to the Golden Eagles 79-55 in their season opener. After a competitive start from both sides, the Golden Eagles began to pull away, leaving the Cougars unable to close the gap down the stretch.
The night started with heavy offense as both sides found the scoreboard early. After a quick 6-0 jump from CUI,
Gavin Carter and
Joel Speckman kickstarted the Cougar offense with a layup and three-pointer.
Porter Bazil would follow with a bucket from beyond the arc to level the game at eight apiece. CUI quickly regained momentum, however, putting together a 24-6 run to build a 32-14 advantage with nine minutes remaining in the half.
Knocking down three after three, CUI only continued to pick up steam. The Golden Eagles shot 63 percent from the field in the opening half, including six three-pointers, as the deficit continued to grow. Speckman and Carter continued to provide offense for the Cougars, while
Zachary Reed added a layup and Jared Lloyd knocked down a pair of free throws. The halftime whistle would blow with CUI holding a 50-26 lead.
The Golden Eagles carried their momentum into the second half, quickly extending their lead to 30. The Cougars would begin to find their rhythm offensively, with Lloyd connecting from beyond the arc before Speckman added a pair of free throws. Bazil and Reed followed with baskets inside, helping the Cougars put together a stretch of offense to cut into the deficit.
Carter would provide another spark for the Cougars, scoring back-to-back fast-break layups before adding another basket inside. With just over eight minutes remaining, Reed connected from three-point range off an assist from Lloyd, bringing the score to 69-49. Speckman would add a layup shortly after, but CUI continued to answer on the other end, keeping the Cougars from making a late push.
Carter led the Cougars with 14 points, shooting 6-of-8 from the field, while Speckman followed with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Bazil, Lloyd, and Reed each added 7 points, with Lloyd also pulling down a team-high 7 rebounds.
The Cougars will look to bounce back and find their first win of the season, back in action against DBU, tipoff set for Nov 13
th at 2:30pm MST in Grand Junction, CO.
