Cornerstone University - News

[Women's Basketball] Mattera Signs Hudsonville Center

Aimee Luurtsema — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:55:00 -0600

Head Coach Katie Mattera and the Golden Eagles Women's Basketball program would like to welcome Alyssa Van Ham to the 2013-14 roster. Alyssa is a 6'3" center from Hudsonville High School. Alyssa and her family live in Jenison, Mich.

During Alyssa's junior year at Hudsonville High School, Alyssa scored a career high 27 points against West Ottawa High School and scored the winning buzzer beater shot to win the game for her team. Van Ham finished her senior leading her team in both points scored and shots blocked with 236 total points and 56 blocks. Alyssa also finished her senior year with a total of 192 rebounds and 35 steals. In 2012-13, Alyssa was named to the OK Red All-Conference team and also to the Honorable Mention Grand Rapids Area Dream Team. Van Ham has achieved a 3.62 GPA.

What Coach Mattera is Saying about Alyssa Van Ham
"Alyssa will bring height, strength and depth to our team. She is a natural post player and makes things look effortless in the paint. Alyssa is a great defender, blocking or altering most shots that come in the paint. I am so excited to work with Alyssa and fine tune her already great God given talent."

[Women's Basketball] Grandville Standout Signs with Cornerstone

Aimee Luurtsema — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:55:00 -0600

Cornerstone University and the Golden Eagles' Women's Basketball program would like to welcome Mari Bugg to the 2013-14 roster. Mari is a 5'11 forward from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Bugg is a standout for her basketball team at Grandville High School. As a senior, Mari averaged 5 PPG, 7 RPG, 2 assists, and 1 block. As a result of her outstanding court performance, Bugg was named to the All-Conference Honorable Mention team. During the 2012-13 season, the Grand Rapids native helped her team win the District Championship and advance to the Regional Finals. Bugg finished her senior year with a winning record of 18-7.

"What Coach Mattera is saying about Mari Bugg"

"Mari is the total package. She has a strong work ethic and pushes herself to defend a tall post inside or a quick guard outside. She finishes well around the basket, and also can hit the short jump shot. I am so excited to have her as a part of our program. Mari came to all of our open gyms last fall, and I was able to see her interact with our team, which just confirmed my decision that I needed her to be a part of our family here at CU!"

[Women's Basketball] Spring Arbor Transfer Signs with Cornerstone

Aimee Luurtsema — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:15:00 -0600

Head Coach Katie Mattera and the Golden Eagles welcome transfer guard Shelby Peterson to the 2013-14 roster. Shelby currently attends Spring Arbor University and was apart of the 2012-13 Cougar basketball roster.

Peterson played in all 30 games at Spring Arbor University, 13 of those contests as a starter for the Cougars. Shelby averaged 18.8 minutes per game, and 86.7% from the free throw line. Peterson scored a season high 9 points versus Cornerstone University (11/9/12) and 9 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists versus Bethel University (11/20/12). Shelby carries a 4.0 GPA at SAU.

Shelby is from Zeeland, Mich., and was a Zeeland West High School stand out. She is the all-time leading scorer (and 3 point scorer) in Zeeland West history and a 4-year varsity starter averaging 12.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 3.1 SPG her senior year. Shelby was a 3-year team captain and 3-year team MVP. Peterson was a member of the OK Green All-Conference Team, Holland Sentinel's All-Area Team, Advance All-Area Second Team, and BCAM's Class B Special Mention. Shelby was also an OK Green Scholar-Athlete and a 2-year member of the National Honor Society. Shelby served as Student Government's treasurer for four years. In addition to her basketball accolades Shelby was also a 4-year Varsity soccer letter winner.

What Coach Mattera is saying about Shelby Peterson

"I am thrilled that Shelby will be a part of our family next year! She brings depth and more importantly experience to our team. Shelby was an offensive threat to us when we competed against Spring Arbor, and I am glad she will be on our side next year!!"

[Women's Basketball] Reed City Standout Signs with Cornerstone

Aimee Luurtsema — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:55:00 -0600

Cornerstone University Women's Basketball would like to welcome Emma Lockhart to the program. Emma signed a letter of intent to be a Golden Eagle for the 2013-2014 roster. Lockhart is a 5'7 Guard from Reed City, Mich.

Emma is a three sport athlete for Reed City High School and has managed her athletics and academics very well. Emma has earned a 3.99 GPA during her high school career. Lockhart is also the President of the National Honor Society and is her class president.

Lockhart has started on her varsity basketball team for four years. During her senior year she averaged 12.3 PPG, 5.15 assists, and 5.35 steals. Emma was named to the First Team All-Conference, First Team Pioneer Dream Team, and Cadillac Evening News Dream Team during her junior year.

In addition to her basketball accomplishments, Lockhart was named to the First Team All-Conference and Second Team Pioneer Dream Team for volleyball. Emma also was All-District short stop and Honorable Mention All-Conference for softball.

What Coach Mattera is Saying about Emma Lockhart
"Emma is a very talented athlete. She is a huge threat on offense, and also can defend really well. She is a very diverse player. She is a great teammate, and always strives to get better. She leads by example, and we are thrilled to have her as a part of our program!"

[Women's Basketball] Women's Basketball Signs Sparta Guard

Aimee Luurtsema — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:35:00 -0600

Coach Mattera and the Cornerstone Women's Basketball program would like to introduce Samantha Kolenda to their 2013-2014 roster. Head Coach Mattera announced that Samantha Kolenda has signed a letter of intent to attend Cornerstone University for the 2013-2014 academic year. Kolenda is a 5'5 Guard and will bring quickness and great shooting to the guard spot. Sammy and her family live in Sparta, Mich.

Samantha attends Sparta High School in Sparta, Mich. Kolenda will be joining former Sparta teammate Jill Steenwyk here at Cornerstone University. Samantha has excelled in the classroom earning a 3.72 GPA and has been on the National Honor Society for the last six years and also a member of the student athletic counsel.

In Samantha's senior year at Sparta High School she had a total of 81 rebounds, 81 assists 52 steals, shot 25% behind the arc and averaged a 8.4 PPG. Kolenda has also been the team captain for the past two seasons. Under her leadership, Kolenda helped Sparta High School win their first District Championship in 2011-2012.

What Coach Mattera is Saying about Samantha Kolenda
"I am really excited to add Samantha to our roster for the 2013-2014 season. She is extremely strong as a player both mentally and physically, she is a true leader. Sammy can handle the ball under pressure very well and also has confidence to make the big shot. I am excited to watch her grow as an individual and a basketball athlete!"

[Women's Basketball] Golden Eagles season comes to an end with 69-43 loss to Madonna

Randy Strawser — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:05:00 -0600

SCORE-WHAC Quarterfinal

Cornerstone University 43 Madonna 69

LOCATION

Livonia, Mich.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Cornerstone – Robyn Veltkamp (14 points)
Madonna – Kaylee McGrath (19 points)

Cornerstone – Ashley Niedermayer (12 rebounds)
Madonna – Kaylee McGrath (9 rebounds)

Cornerstone – Ashley Niedermayer, Kayleigh Hammond, Katelyn Cousins, Kelsey Adamski (2 assists)
Madonna – Shantelle Herring (2 assists)

KEY TEAM STATS

Madonna made 20 of 22 shots from the foul line while Cornerstone made just 2 of 6.from the charity stripe.

GAME FLOW

Madonna scored a quick basket off the opening tip but Kayleigh Hammond would respond to tie it at 19:35. The Crusaders made a 3-pointer at 19:15 and Katelyn Cousins responded with a 3 to tie it at 18:57 but the Golden Eagles would end up chasing the rest of the night. The Crusaders would outscore Cornerstone 18-7 over the next 12 minutes to take a 23-12 lead with 7:11 left in the half. Madonna would push the lead to as much as 19 points (37-28 with 2:15) and (43-24 with: 03). The Golden Eagles made a 14-6 run to start the second half to cut the lead to 49-38 with 12:42 left in the game. The Crusaders responded quickly and pushed the lead to 20 (61-41) with 7:22 on the clock. The Golden Eagles struggled from the field down the stretch only scoring 4 points over the last 8 ½ minutes of play and ended the game losing 69-43.

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles season comes to an end with a 19-12 record.

[Women's Basketball] Handful of Golden Eagles Honored for Conference Play

Aimee Luurtsema — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:55:00 -0600

As the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference regular-season came to a close last weekend and as the conference tournament begins today, Cornerstone, team and individuals, have been recognized in the conference and at the national stage.

Cornerstone WHAC Team Rankings

1^st in Field Goal Pct Defense (.331)
2^nd in Total Rebound Margin (9.000)
3^rd Total Blocks (94)

Cornerstone NAIA Division II Team Rankings

2^nd in Field Goal Pct Defense (.331)
4^th in Defensive Rebounds per Game (30.333)
6^th in Total Rebound Margin (9.000)
8^th in Total Rebounds per Game (44.9000)

Individual Honors

The announcement was made today for the 2012-13 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Awards. The Cornerstone women's basketball team placed six players to WHAC Awards. Senior Robyn Veltkamp represents the Golden Eagles on the WHAC All-Conference Team while freshman Jill Hendrickson was named to the All-Newcomer Team.

In addition, Olivia Jewett, Janae Trombley and senior Robyn Veltkamp were tabbed to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference All-Academic Team while freshman Kirsten Kamphuis was named to the Champions of Character Team.

[Women's Basketball] Women's Basketball Grabs Fifth Seed

Aimee Luurtsema — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:15:00 -0600

After finishing 13-9 in conference play, the Cornerstone women's basketball team finished fifth in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference and are the number five seed heading into this weekend's league tournament.

Davenport and Concordia tied for the regular season basketball title but based on a tie breaker, Davenport heads into the conference tournament with the number one seed. With the top spot, Davenport receives the first WHAC automatic bid to the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa. The winner of the WHAC tournament receives the second birth. Should Davenport also win the tournament, the tournament runner-up receives an automatic bid.

Cornerstone will head to Madonna University to take on the number four seed for the first round. The Golden Eagles will face the winner of Wednesday's Davenport/UNOH contest on Saturday, Feb. 23, for the semi-final game if they beat Madonna. The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championship will take place on Monday, Feb. 25, with the game being played at the higher seed's home court.

Last year, Cornerstone shot a poor first half against Siena Heights during the first round of the conference tournament which resulted in a 63-41 loss. The Golden Eagles are eager to get back to the hard court for redemption from their last season. The women will be lead by Cornerstone's three seniors Kathy DeYoung, Kayleigh Hammond, and Robyn Veltkamp.

[Women's Basketball] Golden Eagles defeats Gray Wolves 67-54

Randy Strawser — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 21:05:00 -0600

Score

Cornerstone University 67 Lourdes University 56

LOCATION

Perrysburg, Ohio

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Cornerstone – Robyn Veltkamp (22 points)
Lourdes – Tiffany Scott (12 points)

Cornerstone – Ashley Niedermayer (16 rebounds)
Lourdes – Taryn Hampton (9 rebounds)

Cornerstone – Kathy DeYoung, Katelyn Cousins, Kelsey Adamski (3 assists)
Lourdes – Ty Ali (5 assists)

KEY TEAM STATS

The Golden Eagles shot 60% (15-25) in the second half to go on to defeat the Gray Wolves by 11 points.

GAME FLOW

Tarynn Hampton made the first basket of the game to put the Gray Wolves up 2-0 at 18:32 but Kathy DeYoung tied the game just .17 seconds later. Cornerstone would go on a 13-4 run over the next 9 ½ minutes to take a 15-6 lead with 8:56 on the clock. The two team would go back and forth over the remainder of the half but the Gray Wolves would make the last 4 points of the half to go into the locker room down just 27-24. Cornerstone shot just 30.6% from the floor in the first half of play. Cornerstone came out smoking in the second half making an 11-0 run in the first four minutes of play. The Golden Eagles pushed the lead to 20 (52-32) about midway through the half. The Gray Wolves responded with 19-4 run to cut the lead to 56-51 with 3:29 left but that would be as close as they would get and Cornerstone would go on to defeat Lourdes 67-56 to finish the season 19-11 overall and 13-9 in the WHAC (5^th Place).

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles hit the road for the first game of the WHAC playoffs to play #4 Madonna on Wednesday.

[Women's Basketball] Seniors Win Big During Last Home Game

Aimee Luurtsema — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:30:00 -0600

SCORE

Cornerstone University 69 Indiana Tech 54

LOCATION

Grand Rapids, Mich.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Cornerstone – Robyn Veltkamp (21 points)
Indiana Tech – Rachael Kruse (17 points)

Cornerstone – Jill Hendrickson, Ashley Niedermayer (11 rebounds)
Indiana Tech – Chelsea Carradine (10 rebounds)

Cornerstone – Kathy DeYoung (5 assists)
Indiana Tech – Preonda Reese (3 assists)

KEY TEAM STATS

On senior night, the Golden Eagles welcomed Indiana Tech for a Wednesday night conference contest. Prior to the game, seniors Kathy DeYoung, Kayleigh Hammond, and Robyn Veltkamp were honored for their four years of dedication and hard work as a member of the women's basketball team. DeYoung recorded her career 100^th assist and Hammond recorded her career 400^th rebound on the night. Meanwhile, Veltkamp passed her twin sister in career points with 1681 total points moving her to 4th on CU's scoring list. The three seniors helped the Golden Eagles to a 69-56 victory.

GAME FLOW

During the first half, the teams were tied at seven apiece with 16:43 remaining before the half. Cornerstone then went on a 10-0 run led by Veltkamp's six points to give the Golden Eagles a 17-7 lead. CU held the lead until the Warriors went on a commanding 11-0 run to cut the Cornerstone lead, 34-33, heading into the locker room.

In the second half, the Golden Eagles held the Warriors to only one point for the first four minutes of play. At the 16:03 mark, Cornerstone held a nine point advantage. Jill Hendrickson gave CU their biggest lead of the night of 20 points with six minutes remaining in the game. Cornerstone maintained a commanding lead and rolled to a 69-56 victory. Highlighting the game, Cornerstone out-rebounded Indiana Tech 51-34 and tallied 13 more assists than the Warriors during night. Jill Hendrickson also tallied a double-double during the game.

After the win, Cornerstone advances to 18-11 overall and 12-9 during conference play as they travel to Perrysburg, Ohio, to play in their final regular season conference contest against Lourdes University. The game will be played at Owens Community College with tip-off slated for 6:30 pm

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles travel to Perrysburg, Ohio, on Saturday to face Lourdes University with the game set for 6:30 p.m.

[Women's Basketball] Cornerstone University�s Robyn Veltkamp comes down the home stretch of her ...

Aimee Luurtsema — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:10:00 -0600

Robyn Veltkamp, the senior captain on Cornerstone University's women's basketball team, recently surpassed three significant milestones in her collegiate career, scoring more than 1500 points in conjunction with over 500 assists and more than 500 rebounds, all the while playing her first-ever season without her twin sister Melissa. In the Cornerstone record book, Veltkamp currently stands fifth in career points with 1660 points and second in career assists with 518 assists. On top of her Cornerstone records, Veltkamp has tallied conference and national records. Robyn was named 3^rd team WHAC All-Conference (2008-09), 2^nd team WHAC All-Conference (2009-10), 1^st team WHAC All-Conference (2010-11) and honorable mention NAIA All-American (2010-11) during her career at Cornerstone.

On Wednesday night, Robyn Veltkamp will play her final home game at Cornerstone (5:30 tipoff against Indiana Tech) after an outstanding career. It is a career, though, that did not finish like she originally thought it would for her and Melissa.

During the summer before the 2011-12 season, Robyn suffered a hip injury that forced her to redshirt her senior season. Watching her sister finish her collegiate career while she sat on the bench was difficult for Robyn, because playing basketball together was something Robyn and Melissa had done from an early age.

"Our house was known as the house with the two blonde girls who were always outside playing basketball," recalled Robyn, adding that always having her sister there to rebound for her and doing likewise for her sister motivated both of them. The pair also received a lot of encouragement from their father, who would come home from work and ask them both how many free throws they had made that day.

The two moved from playing together in the driveway to playing together for Hudsonville High School, and it was there that they were first noticed by Carla Fles, Cornerstone's head coach at the time.

"[Coach Fles] came to a lot of our games," said Robyn. "Sometimes she'd bring some of her players along. That really showed us that Cornerstone wanted us there."

That presence, along with the desire to stay close to home and family, made Cornerstone University an easy choice for the twins.

Their freshman year, the pair helped the Golden Eagles qualify for a trip to the national tournament, and two years later they did it again. "[Those] are two of my favorite memories from Cornerstone," said Robyn. "National tournaments and beating Davenport [University] when they were ranked number one and we were unranked."

The two seemed inseparable. When Mel, as Robyn calls her, hit her 1000^th point, it was Robyn who gave her the assist. When Robyn made her 1000^th point a few games later, it was Mel who returned the favor.

"I'll keep that memory for the rest of my life," said Robyn.

Then came Robyn's injury and the ensuing season on the bench. That was hard for her and Mel but when the 2012-13 campaign began, the difficulty really hit her.

"Getting ready for this season and knowing I was going to be playing without Mel was one of the most difficult things I've faced," said Robyn. "I cried on media day when they asked me about it."

Adding to the difficulty was the retirement of veteran coach Carla Fles and the addition of not only new players but a new coach as well. Robyn pushed on – realizing that God had given her another year in college basketball to help lead the young players at Cornerstone and to play for former WNBA player Katie Mattera as her new head coach.

Robyn says that she has learned a lot during her time at Cornerstone, in the classroom, on the court, and, "just in general."

"I knew my professors cared. They always asked us about our games and how the season was going," she said.

On Wednesday night Robyn will suit up for her last home game at Cornerstone University. After that, she'll prepare for graduation in May before pursuing a career connected to sports in some way. Robyn says she really wants to coach someday.

"And I want to tell [everybody] to try your hardest," she says. "Because it will pay off someday."

[Women's Basketball] Golden Eagles Just Miss Upset of No. 7 Concordia

Aimee Luurtsema — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:20:00 -0600

SCORE

Cornerstone University 52 #7 Concordia 54

LOCATION

Ann Arbor, Mich.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Cornerstone – Robyn Veltkamp (15 points)
Concordia – Hannah Sabol (21 points)

Cornerstone – Ashley Niedermayer (9 rebounds)
Concordia – Hannah Sabol (10 rebounds)

Cornerstone – Katelyn Cousins (4 assists)
Concordia – Kelly Cieslak (5 assists)

KEY TEAM STATS

The Golden Eagles headed into Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon to face the No. 7 team in the country, Concordia University. Cornerstone's bench outscored Concordia's bench, 25-2, but were unable to pull an upset against the ranked conference opponent. Cornerstone shot 31% from the floor with Robyn Veltkamp's 15 points and Ashley Niedermayer's nine rebounds leading the way. Meanwhile, Concordia hit 32.1% of their shots with Hannah Sabol tallying the game-high 21 points.

GAME FLOW

Concordia held a 14-6 advantage over Cornerstone with 13:10 remaining in the first half but Cornerstone went on a 9-0 run to take the lead. The remaining 10 minutes of play went back and forth as the teams traded baskets. There were seven lead changes and two ties before Concordia took a one point advantage heading into halftime. Highlighting the half, Cornerstone capitalized on 11 points off turnovers and six fast break points.

During the second half of Saturday's contest, Cornerstone held a two point advantage with 11:40 remaining in the game. However, the Cardinals chipped away at the deficit and with 5:43 to play held a six point, 47-41, lead. The Golden Eagles were able to pull within one, 53-52, after Veltkamp hit two clutch free throws with only one minute remaining. Concordia's Kelly Cieslak turned the ball over with :44 seconds left and putting Cornerstone to the free throw line. However after two missed free throws and a jumper, the Golden Eagles were unable to capitalize on the upset.

After the loss, Cornerstone falls to 17-11 overall and 11-9 during conference play as they prepare to host their final home game against Indiana Tech. The game is set to honor the three Golden Eagle seniors with a 5:30 tip off on Wednesday

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles host their final home contest on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. against Indiana Tech.

[Women's Basketball] Golden Eagles have big second half to defeat Aquinas 60-44

Randy Strawser — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:55:00 -0600

SCORE

Cornerstone University 60 Aquinas College 44

LOCATION

Grand Rapids, Mich.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Cornerstone – Robyn Veltkamp (16 points)
Aquinas – Chelsea Matley (17 points)

Cornerstone – Ashley Niedermayer (12 rebounds)
Aquinas – Shelby Carter (7 rebounds)

Cornerstone –Kelsey Adamski, Robyn Veltkamp (3 assists)
Aquinas – Allison Heberlein, Elle Sturgell (2 assists)

KEY TEAM STATS

Cornerstone shot 50% from the field (14-28) and made 10-10 from the foul line in the second half to pull away from the Saints for the win.

GAME FLOW

The two teams went back and forth over the first 14 minutes of play. Cornerstone took a 12-11 lead with 6:10 left in the half on a Robyn Veltkamp bucket. The Golden Eagles scored six straight to push the lead to 18-11 with 4:26 on the clock but the Saints would finish with a 6-3 run to draw to within 4 (21-17) at the half. Neither team shot particularly well in the first half of play. Cornerstone made 9-30 (30%) and Aquinas made 11-30 (33.9%). Aquinas drew to within 3 points (25-22) with 18:21 left in the half but the Golden Eagles would go on a 15-0 run to put Cornerstone up 40-22 with 12:55 left in the game. Aquinas cut the lead to as low as 12 points (54-42) with 2:37 left but would finish down 60-44 at the end of the game.

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles will hit the road to play #1 Concordia at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

[Women's Basketball] Women's Second Half Come Back Not Enough to Beat UM-Dearborn

Aimee Luurtsema — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:30:00 -0600

SCORE

Cornerstone University 52 UM-Dearborn 59

LOCATION

Grand Rapids, Mich.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Cornerstone – Robyn Veltkamp (15 points)
UM-Dearborn – Chelsea Davis (25 points)

Cornerstone – Ashley Niedermayer, Robyn Veltkamp (10 rebounds)
UM-Dearborn – Chelsea Davis (17 rebounds)

Cornerstone – Robyn Veltkamp (5 assists)
UM-Dearborn – Chelsea Davis, Brittany Teets (4 assists)

KEY TEAM STATS

After a maintenance issue with the bus, Michigan-Dearborn's women's basketball team came into Mol Arena on a hot streak shooting 60% from the field during the first half. The Golden Eagles were not able to bounce back after a 17 point deficit at halftime. Cornerstone's Robyn Veltkamp recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Ashley Niedermayer grabbed 10 rebounds. UM-Dearborn's Chelsea Davis recorded a double-double as well with 25 points to go alongside 17 rebounds.

GAME FLOW

Cornerstone grabbed the lead first off a two point jumper by Katelyn Cousins inside the paint. The Wolves then went on a 10-2 to take a six point lead from the Golden Eagles. With nine minutes remaining, Cornerstone slowly chipped away at the deficit and took the lead. However, UM-Dearborn went on a 24-6 run to take the 42-25 lead into halftime. Dearborn's Chelsea Davis highlighted the half with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

During the second half, Cornerstone was able to slow down Davis and limit her to five points and six rebounds as they chipped away at the 17 point deficit. With 1:36 left on the clock, Cornerstone cut the Wolves' lead to nearly four points. Courtney Teets put the end to the Golden Eagles come back with a two point shot with 38 seconds remaining while the Wolves took the 59-52 victory.

After the loss, Cornerstone falls to 16-10 overall and 10-8 during conference play as they prepare to travel to Aquinas College on Wednesday night.

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles travel to Aquinas College on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tip off.

[Women's Basketball] Women's Basketball Tops Madonna

Aimee Luurtsema — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:50:00 -0600

SCORE

Cornerstone University 66 Madonna 62

LOCATION

Grand Rapids, Mich.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Cornerstone – Robyn Veltkamp (24 points)
Madonna –Rachel Melcher (21 points)

Cornerstone – Ashley Niedermayer, Robyn Veltkamp (10 rebounds)
Madonna – Kristie Porada (9 rebounds)

Cornerstone – Robyn Veltkamp (4 assists)
Madonna – Kristie Porada (3 assists)

KEY TEAM STATS

The Golden Eagles welcomed Madonna University for a Thursday night contest. With a 46-31 rebound advantage, Cornerstone took the night's contest with a final score 66-62. The Golden Eagles shot at a 49% pace from the court while Madonna hit 32.4% on the night. Clutch free throws made by Cornerstone, sealed their tenth conference win. CU was led by senior Robyn Veltkamp's double-double. Veltkamp tallied the game-high 24 points and game-high 10 rebounds. Teammate Ashley Niedermayer also grabbed 10 rebounds.

GAME FLOW

Cornerstone took the early 6-2 lead with five minutes into play off a two point jumper by Niedermayer. Madonna slowly chipped away at the deficit when they eventually stole the lead and had their biggest lead of the first half, 19-14, with nine minutes remaining till halftime. Off a Veltkamp three point shot, Cornerstone tied the ball game and took a 30-29 advantage into the locker room. Highlighting the first half was Madonna's Kaylee McGrath with seven points and Niedermayer's eight points.

During the second half, Madonna controlled most of the play. With a seven point lead by the Crusaders, Cornerstone went on a 9-0 run to take the lead with seven minutes left in the contest. Teams traded baskets but with a clutch two point side line jumper, Veltkamp put the Golden Eagles up by four with 52 seconds remaining. After fouls from Madonna, Cornerstone hit their free throws to grab the victory.

After the win, Cornerstone advances to 16-9 overall and 10-7 during conference play as they welcome University of Michigan-Dearborn on Saturday afternoon. The Women's Basketball team will also welcome back their alumni for Saturday's contest.

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles welcome UM-Dearborn on Saturday with game set for 3 p.m.