GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Cornerstone will return to action after a nine day layoff with games on back-to-back days, as they get set to compete in the fifth annual Davenport Holiday Classic. Cornerstone will start the tournament with a Thursday game against No. 1 Saint Francis of Illinois, and then will follow that with a Friday game against Bethel College. Both games are set to tip at 5 p.m. in the DU Student Center, and there will be live video/stats available at cugoldeneagles.com/watch.

Opponent: Saint Francis (Ill.)
Date: Thursday, December 29
Time: 5:00 p.m. EST
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. (DU Student Center)
Internet Coverage: Live Video/Stats
 
Scouting the Top Seed Saints
Saint Francis has been near perfect in just about every statistical category this season holding one of the NAIA's three remaining unblemished records at 11-0. On the offensive side of the court, the Saints balanced lineup moves the ball very well, averaging 18.6 assists per game to rank sixth in the nation. Defensively, the size of 6-1 forward Jordan Giddings leads to a multitude of blocks, as the team averages 4.1 a game to rank eight in the NAIA. The balance of the top ranked Saint Francis team has been key all season long as no single player jumps out as a statistical leader, and four USF players average over 10 points per game. The current leading scorer and rebounder for USF is Charnelle Reed who averages 14.5 PPG and 7.8 RPG.
 
Long Time No See
Cornerstone has not seen Saint Francis as an opponent for just over 14 years, as the last match-up came in 2002 where the Golden Eagles fell 66-52. CU is just 1-2 against USF since the 2000-01 season.
 
Opponent: Bethel College
Date: Friday, December 30, 2016
Time: 5:00 p.m. EST
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. (DU Student Center)
Internet Coverage: Live Video/Stats
 
Scouting the Pilots
First year head coach Eric Gingerich and the Bethel Pilots have had a rough start to the season going 0-12 to begin the year before winning their last two games to move to 2-12 overall. The struggles for the Pilots have come mostly on the defensive side allowing their opponents to shoot a 42.5% clip from the field. Bethel averages a 40.4% shooting clip of their own, but slow starts have doomed them, as they have been out scored in the first quarter 220 to 184 this season. Senior Madison Schrock leads the team in points per game at 15.1, a lot of it coming from behind the arc, shooting 41.3% from deep. Savannah Bley is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 a game, and is the team leader in rebounds at 8.6.
 
History vs. Bethel
The Pilots are a familiar non-conference opponent for CU, as they have faced each other 11 times since 2002. Cornerstone has recorded a 6-5 record in those 11 games, with many of those games being decided late in the fourth quarter. The Golden Eagles have won the past two appearances against Bethel, most recently defeating them on the road last year 66-64.
 
Record vs. No. 1 Seeds
Last time the Golden Eagles faced the top team in the country it was the season opener of the 2014-15 season, and they fell on the road 63-50 to Saint Francis of Indiana. Cornerstone is 1-5 all-time when playing the number one team in the nation, with their only win coming in the 2009-10 season 65-54 over conference rival Davenport.
 
Vredevoogd Setting Career Marks
Junior Cass Vredevoogd gave Cornerstone an early Christmas present last time out, recording a collegiate career high 19 points and 13 rebounds. This is the first double-double for Vredevoogd at Cornerstone, and it breaks her previous career high of 18 points and 12 rebounds that she recorded with Dort College.
 
DU Holiday Classic News
Davenport is hosting its fifth annual Holiday Classic event. Cornerstone will be featured for the second time in the tournament, along with first timers Saint Francis and Bethel College.
 
History in the Holiday Classic
Cornerstone is a participant in the DU Holiday Classic for the second time in the tournaments five year history. The Golden Eagles competed in 2015-16 and played just one game falling to Roosevelt University 72-61. Jesse Sheridan led all scores in that game with 17 points on 5-12 shooting.

Women's Basketball Contact: Jesse Campbell | Nathan-jesse.campbell@cornerstone.edu
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