IRVINE, CA --- A trey from junior guard Patrice Hunter tied the game for the first time at 41-41, but Concordia couldn't complete a comeback upset bid, as the NAIA's No. 3 Point Loma Nazarene handed the Eagles a 65-54 loss Tuesday night.

Hunter's triple made up half of a 6-2 rally that tied the score midway through the second half in a game where Concordia out-shot Point Loma 10-2 from beyond the arc, but was out-scored 32-10 in the paint.

CUI drops to 9-5, including 2-4 in Golden State Athletic Conference play. PLNU improves to 15-1, 6-1 GSAC with the victory.

The Eagles had a tough task in trying to limit the Sea Lions' Colleen Planeta, the reigning GSAC Player of the Year. Planeta ended with game-highs of 27 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks.

Planeta and Amanda Franz combined to score 47 points on the night, where Point Loma opened up an early 13-point lead, at 15-2.

CUI fought back after the slow start to end the half down only three points, at 31-28, and played well enough to keep the game within 13 points or less the rest of the game.

After Hunter hit the game-tying three-pointer, the score remained knotted at 41-41 for the next 2:34, before PLNU's Kaitlyn Trotter hit a free throw with 8:35 to go. The game's next field goal came 4:50 after Hunter's bucket, when Planeta knocked down a jumper to make it a 44-41 game.

Planeta and Franz combined with a pair of buckets each to give the Sea Lions a 50-41 advantage with 4:38 to go.

The Sea Lions were 9-for-10 from the charity stripe in the last 1:05 of the game.

Concordia was led by 19 points from senior guard Kayanna Nichols, who buried three treys, and junior guard Nicole Fu was one of three others to hit two three-pointers. She ended with nine points in the loss.

The Eagles struggled to cash in on their possessions throughout the game, turning the ball over 27 times, opposed to 15 give-aways by Point Loma.

CUI next plays at Biola this Saturday night (Jan. 16), starting at 5:30 p.m. in La Mirada.