IRVINE, CA --- Led by 25 points from Bridgette Reyes and 21 from Sarah Boyd, the NAIA's No. 3-ranked Vanguard jumped out to a 14-point lead six minutes into the game and didn't let off from there in a 97-70 win over Concordia Tuesday night.
With just two regular-season games left and a game behind California Baptist for the eighth and final berth in the Golden State Athletic Conference, the Eagles need to win their final two games of the year to give themselves a chance.

Concordia, which plays fellow ninth-place team Fresno Pacific this Saturday in Fresno, ends the night with an 11-15 record, including 4-14 in GSAC tilts.

Vanguard remains in a first-place tie with No. 7 Azusa Pacific at 20-2, 16-2 GSAC.

The Lions capitalized on 22 Concordia turnovers to the tune of 34 points, and made their presence known early, pouncing out to a 21-7 lead at the 14-minute mark on a layup from Reyes.

A couple of made free-throw shots from junior guard Tyler Howard along with back-to-back jumpers from junior guard Nicole Fu shaved the deficit to seven points, at 36-29 with three minutes left in the first half, but that was as close as CUI would get the rest of the way.

Vanguard, which out-scored the Eagles by a 46-20 margin in the paint, held as much as a 29-point lead three times late in the second half.

Vanguard's Diana Neves and Rachel Copeland scored 17 and 12 points, respectively, as the Lions out-shot Concordia, 57 percent (34-for-60) to 37 percent (23-for-62) on the night.

The Eagles were led by 15 points from junior center Lindsey Kingsland, who grabbed five rebounds, while junior forward Cheyenne Wallace hauled down nine boards.

Junior forward Karen Carney notched 13 points and seven rebounds, while Fu and senior forward Lauren Sahli netted 11 and 10 points, respectively. Sahli also grabbed seven rebounds and went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Concordia looks to stay in playoff contention with its next matchup this Saturday (Feb. 27) at Fresno Pacific at 2:30 p.m.

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