GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – No. 2 Cornerstone jumped out to an 11-2 lead and never trailed on Saturday afternoon as they defeated visiting UM-Dearborn 79-70 in the WHAC semifinals. The victory lifts the Golden Eagles to 29-3 overall and into the WHAC Championship game on Tuesday where they will host Aquinas College at 7:30 p.m.
Game Flow
After falling behind 10-0 in both of the team's meetings earlier this season, Cornerstone came out on fire in the early stages of the semifinal contest. CU opened the game on an 11-2 run forcing the Wolverines into a timeout and then increased the lead to 21-6 just 9:54 into the game. While the opening 10 minutes were dominated by Cornerstone, the roles were reversed in the closing 10 of the first half as Dearborn ended it with a 20-9 run to cut the lead to just four, 30-26.
UMD converted a layup to open the second half to get within two but that would be as close as they would get for the remainder of the game. The hot shooting of
Michael Bradshaw (six triples) and some timely outside shots from
Cory Cox and
Jake Brubaker allowed CU to maintain a 6-10 point lead throughout the closing 20 minutes. Free-throws down the stretch allowed CU to advance to post the 79-70 win and advance to Tuesday's title game vs. Aquinas.
Say What?
"That was a tough performance against a very good basketball team. They (UMD) make you work for every possession on offense and I thought our guys played well and hit some big shots when we needed them to" – Head Coach
Kim Elders
By the Numbers
20 – Career-high points from junior
Michael Bradshaw (6/11 from 3-point range)
14 – Rebounds for
Sam Vander Sluis (CU out-rebounded the Wolverines 38-28)
19/15/10 –
Cory Cox,
Kyle Steigenga and
Michael McLaughlin all finished in double-figures
17 – Assists for CU, led by McLaughlin's eight
1 – CU held UMD's leading scorer, Marcus Williams (17.9 ppg) to just one point
19 – Cornerstone will be making its 19
th WHAC Championship game appearance in the 25 all-time tourney's
Up Next
Cornerstone will play host to rival Aquinas (a 79-77 winner at Davenport) in Tuesday's WHAC Title Game. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. inside Mol Arena.
Men's Basketball Contact:
Aaron Sagraves
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