Strong second half vaults No. 4 MBB into WHAC Semifinal

Box Score

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Cornerstone saw a big first half lead dwindled down just three at the break but then erupted in the second half to post a 78-63 win over visiting Lourdes in the conference tournament quarterfinals. The No. 4 ranked Golden Eagles improve to 26-5 on the year and they turn their attention to No. 16 Northwestern Ohio in the WHAC Semi-final on Saturday. Game time in Lima is set for 3 p.m.

Game Flow
After holding then No. 4 ranked Davenport to just 32 points last week, the Lourdes defense did not have the same punch in it in the early going as Cornerstone raced out to a 22-6 lead just under halfway through the opening 20 minutes. The Gray Wolves then mounted a methodical comeback as they got the margin down to just three (32-29) at the break after a late triple by Julian Johnson.

The lead would grow back to eight on the first two possessions in the second half as CU got a layup from Ben Lanning (JR/Grandville, Mich.) and a 3-pointer from Cory Cox (SO/Flushing, Mich.) but Lourdes then used an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game at 38-37. The very next time down the floor freshman Kyle Steigenga (FR/Holland, Mich.) connected on an old-fashioned three-point play and it sparked an 18-5 run that put CU up by double-digits for good. A 4-point play and a second triple in a row for Ben Lanning with just less than five minutes to play turned out to be the dagger as CU posted the 15-point win.

Say What?
"Lourdes is a tough and scrappy team and they like to slow it down and grind it out. We found a way to be physical back with them and get the win. Now we have to get ready to take on UNOH in their gym which is always a tough place to play." – Junior Ben Lanning

By the Numbers
13 and 4 – Cornerstone held Lourdes' leading scorer Zach Steinmetz well below his season averages of 17.6 points and 8.7 rebounds

6 – Only six players recorded points for the Golden Eagles but four of them found double-figures led by Kyle Steigenga with 22 and Ben Lanning with 21

30-25 – Cornerstone out-rebounded the Gray Wolves

22-28 – CU finished a solid 82.1% from the free-throw line

4 – Blocked shots for junior Ben Lanning

Up Next
Cornerstone will head to Northwestern Ohio to face the No. 16 ranked racers on Saturday in the semifinal round of the 2015 WHAC Tournament. Game time in Lima is set for 3 p.m.

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