GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. –
Sam Vander Sluis finished with 27 points, 21 rebounds, seven blocks, five assists and three steals to lead No. 7 Cornerstone to an 81-59 win over No. 16 Saint Francis on Saturday afternoon. The victory completed a perfect 2-0 weekend at the CU Classic to lift the Golden Eagles to 3-1 overall on the year. Cornerstone will hit the road for Mount Vernon Nazarene next weekend to compete in the Hall of Fame Tournament as CU will face No. 9 Union (Ky.) on Friday at 3 p.m.
What you need to know
- Cornerstone jumped out to a 19-6 lead in the first seven minutes
- St. Francis clawed back to within 23-16 but CU ended the half on a 24-14 run to lead 47-30
- Neither team scored for the first 3:12 of the second half
- A Christian Rodriguez layup with 16:38 to play put CU up by 21
- USF cut the margin to as little as nine (63-54) with 6:07 to play
- Back to back triples from Tyler Baker and Rodriguez helped keep CU up by double-digits
Let's Get Social
Say What?
"It was a game full of runs by both teams. We played extremely well on defense and hit big shots only to see them come back and cut into the lead. Our guys hung in there and it's a nice win to finish off a big weekend " – Head coach
Kim Elders
By the Numbers
27/21/7/5/3 –
Sam Vander Sluis was dominant in points, rebounds, blocks, assists and steals
28 –
Christian Rodriguez and
Tyler Baker combined for 28 points
21 – CU had 21 assists as Sluis had five followed by four each from Rodriguez,
Riley Costen and
Kyle Hayes
52 – Cornerstone held the Cougars to 52 points less than what they scored in their season opener
What's Next?
Cornerstone will continue its tough early season schedule as they will face No. 9 Union (Ky.) on Friday at the Mount Vernon Nazarene Hall of Fame Tournament.
Men's Basketball Contact: Aaron Sagraves
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