LIVONIA, Mich. – The Golden Eagles continued their season with a road contest at Madonna on Monday night. The teams entered the game with identical 2-6 records in WHAC play. After trailing by as many as 12 points, a huge third quarter and a clutch fourth quarter surge helped Cornerstone fight back and end the night on top by a score of 65-63. The win brings Cornerstone's record up to 6-11, 3-6 WHAC as they prepare to host Lourdes on Wednesday evening.
Game Flow:
- Coming off a 19-point performance against UNOH on Saturday, Layna Steele got Cornerstone on the board with a layup early in the first quarter.
- After the Crusaders took a 9-8 lead, back-to-back layups from Katrina Goebel and Kennedy Helderop boosted the Golden Eagles to a 12-9 lead with less than three minutes to go in the first quarter.
- A pair of free throws from Shelby Nyboer capped off the scoring in the first frame, giving Cornerstone a 17-13 advantage.
- Cornerstone shot just 3-for-14 from the floor in the second quarter, allowing Madonna to take a 30-24 lead at halftime.
- The Crusaders built their lead to as many as 12 by starting the third quarter on a 10-4 run.
- A three-pointer from Brooke Modderman with 6:38 to go in the third quarter sparked the offense for the Golden Eagles, as the team ended the quarter by shooting 8-for-9 from the floor.
- Shelby Nyboer totaled 11 points in the third quarter.
- Cornerstone led 49-45 heading into the final quarter thanks to a 21-5 run in the final seven minutes.
- Madonna erupted for 11 straight points to start the final frame, including a trio of three-pointers to establish a seven-point lead with seven minutes to play.
- Cornerstone then responded with seven straight points to even the game at 56-56 with less than five minutes to go.
- The Golden Eagles reestablished their lead back up to six, leading 64-58 with 2:50 to go, thanks to a pair of "And-1" buckets from Layna Steele and Kennedy Helderop.
- Madonna chipped away at the lead, and had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but Cornerstone hung on to win 65-63.
By the numbers:
2 – First time with two consecutive victories since the 2017-18 season.
3 – Third win of the season by a margin of three points or less.
10 –
Layna Steele and
Kennedy Helderop both chipped in 10 points.
13 –
Shelby Nyboer scored 13 points, 11 of which came in the third quarter.
16 –
Allyson Richards shot 7-for-10 from the floor and totaled a team-high 16 points off the bench for CU.
57.7 – The Golden Eagles shot over 57% from the floor in the second half.
What's next?
Cornerstone (6-11, 3-6 WHAC) will look to keep up the momentum with a home game against Lourdes on Wednesday. Tip off is scheduled for 5 p.m inside Mol Arena.
Women's Basketball Contact: Seth Walters
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