MARION, Ind. – The Golden Eagles opened one of the toughest starts in NAIA DII college basketball on Friday evening at No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan and a slow start spoiled Cornerstone's chance at an upset as they fell 94-76. The Wildcats led from start to finish behind the strong play of their star guard Kyle Mangus who finished the game with 29 points. CU concludes action in the WHAC/CL Classic against No. 1 Spring Arbor tomorrow at 3 p.m. back at Luckey Arena in Marion, Indiana.
What you need to know?
- The No. 4 Wildcats scored the first seven points of the game all being scored by Seth Maxwell.
- After falling behind by as much as 18 points in the first 15 minutes, Drew Knickerbocker sparked a comeback with eight points including two threes to cut the deficit to 11.
- Tyler Baker then recorded an and one to bring the deficit down to just eight.
- Late first half free throws helped Indiana Wesleyan increase their lead back to 15 at the half at 53-38.
- Just like the first half, IWU began the second half on a 7-0 run with five of those points coming from Kyle Mangus to lead 60-38.
- IWU held a 20+ point lead for the majority of the second half with a game high 24-point lead at 80-56 with 10:57 remaining.
- Nick Dekkenga and Christian Rodriguez each hit a three to cut the deficit back to 14 with 8:09 remaining.
- IWU would bend no further though, winning 94-76 to spoil the Golden Eagles season opener.
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By the Numbers
- Defending NAIA First Team All-American Kyle Mangus scored a game high 29 points for the Wildcats on 9-17 shooting.
- Both teams got to the free throw line a lot, as IWU hit 15-18 attempts and CU hit 9-13 attempts.
- Cornerstone was outrebounded 41-33 on the game.
- Drew Knickerbocker and Kyle Hayes each had 13 points to lead the Golden Eagles. Knickerbocker was a perfect 3-3 from behind the arc.
What's Next?
Cornerstone concludes the WAHC/CL Challenge tomorrow at 3 p.m. back in Luckey Arena against NAIA DII Preseason No. 1 and defending National Champion Spring Arbor.
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