GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – After a WHAC Quarterfinal win vs. UM-Dearborn the top seeded and NAIA DII no. 10 Golden Eagles get set to host Siena Heights in the WHAC Tournament Semifinals on Saturday at 3 p.m. The four seed Siena Heights comes into the semifinal after a75-70 win vs. the five seed Rochester College in the quarterfinals. On the year, Cornerstone is 2-0 against Siena Heights including a win in the regular season finale just over a week ago that gave CU the regular season WHAC Championship outright. Saturday's game will have live video/stats/audio available at cugoldeneagles.com/watch and through the CU Golden Eagles app.
Opponent: Siena Heights
Date: Saturday, February 23
Time: 3 p.m. EST
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Mol Arena)
Internet Coverage: Live Video/Audio/Stats
WHAC Player of the Year
The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference announced their post-season awards on Thursday afternoon and
Sam Vander Sluis was named the WHAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Vander Sluis has an outstanding senior season averaging 20.3 PPG and 15.5 RPG while also leading the nation in blocks. Vander Sluis has 28 double-doubles in 31 games this season including a 35 point 17 rebound effort last time out vs. UM-D. The senior has been named Player of the Year for the first time and Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in the post-season conference awards.
Academic All-District
Along with earning four WHAC post-season awards, junior
Riley Costen was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team on Thursday. Costen who's season ended short with a foot injury, averaged 13.9 points per game while also sporting a 3.97 GPA in the classroom as a pre-med major.
Last Time against Siena Heights
Just a week ago, Cornerstone traveled to Siena Heights and earned a 94-75 win to clinch the WHAC Regular Season Title outright. CU won both matchups with the Saints this season by 15+ points to increase their win streak vs. SHU to 12 straight.
Scouting Siena Heights
The Saints have posted their best season in recent history going 17-12, 12-8 WHAC as they were fighting for the top spot in the conference for the majority of the 2018-19 season. SHU would drop three of their last four games in the regular season to drop to the four seed for conference tournament play. In the WHAC Quarterfinal, Siena Heights hosted Rochester College and trailed for much of the game, but a late run in the final four minutes would help them to earn a 75-70 win and advance the conference semi's. The Saints are led by a pair of all-conference selections in Keith Jordan Jr. and DeMarco Dickerson. The First Team selection Keith Jordan Jr. leads the team with 17.5 PPG and 6.6 RPG while the Second Team Selection DeMarco Dickerson leads the team with 86 assists to go along with a team second best 15.4 PPG and 6.0 RPG. The Saints are coached by Joe Pechota who is in his sixth season as the Siena Heights Men's Basketball coach.
Men's Basketball Contact:
Jesse Campbell
CU Athletics: Twitter |
Facebook |
Instagram
Men's Basketball on: Twitter |
Facebook
