GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – After going 0-2 in the regular season, the Golden Eagles came up with a huge WHAC Tournament quarterfinal victory, downing the Saints 64-57. Cornerstone's defense was huge, holding the opponent to a season low 26.4% (19-72) from the field in the win. The Golden Eagles will now head to the two seed Lawrence Tech for the WHAC Tournament semifinal on Saturday with an NAIA Tournament automatic bid potentially on the line.
Game Flow
The Golden Eagles got off to a hot start forcing Aquinas into an early timeout after taking a 13-4 lead. CU would maintain the nine-point lead at the end of the quarter, shooting 66.7% (10-15) from the field. AQ would then put the pressure on to begin the second quarter, causing eight turnovers and holding Cornerstone to just 4-9 shooting. Both teams struggled to score, going 2:39 without a bucket when CU led 31-21, but an 8-2 run to end the half by Aquinas would cut the Golden Eagles advantage to 33-29.
A three to by Aquinas to start the third quarter cut the CU lead to just one, but the Golden Eagles followed with an 8-0 run to get back up by nine. The Saints would once again battle back, cutting the deficit to four at the end of the third. A Cornerstone 9-0 in the fourth would end up being the difference in the defensive struggle, as CU would hit 11-16 free throws in the final 10 minutes to seal the 64-57 victory.
Lizzy Otten led the team in scoring with 15 points, going 11-14 from the line.
Say What...?
"It's hard to beat a team three times. We came out with fire and really played our game defending well. So proud of this team and excited to get to keep playing." -
Lizzy Otten, Senior Guard
Inside the Box
54.8%-26.4% – The Golden Eagles shot 23-42 from the field, while the Saints shot 19-72.
8/4 –
Taylor Richards led the team with eight rebounds in the game, along with tying a career high with four blocks.
9-6 –
Shaina DenBesten was huge down the stretch, recording nine points and six rebounds on the game.
29-4 – Aquinas took 29 threes on the game, while Cornerstone took only four.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will travel to Southfield on Saturday for a 6 p.m. start for the WHAC Tournament semifinal.
