GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Points were raining down as Cornerstone battled back and forth but ultimately fell in a 117-107 double OT thriller vs. Rochester on Wednesday evening. CU scored the program's most points since 2017, against Olivet Nazarene in another game that needed extra time. The Golden Eagles had the chance to win it in regulation but a late and-one kept the Warriors alive, dropping Cornerstone to 7-8, 6-2 WHAC on the year. CU will regroup and travel to rival Aquinas on Saturday at 6 p.m. for their next contest.   
 
Game Flow:

• The size of CU led to an early run opening the game as Cornerstone scored the first nine points. Stephanie Ainsworth got things started with a bucket inside, followed by a three from Maddison Fulks. 
• Just over two minutes into the game, Rochester scored their first points on a layup from Jacara Thompson to make it 9-2. 
• The freshman Jaxi Long hit a huge three to put CU up by 11 at the 7:05 mark in the first as the offense continued to flow. 
• The offense started to slow for the Golden Eagles later in the quarter, as the Warriors implemented the full court press. Rochester scored six straight to make it a 14-9 game. 
• The Mackenzie Stien show started at the end the first quarter, scoring five of the Golden Eagles last seven points in the period to put CU on top 22-16. 
• Mackenzie Stien continued her success in the lane to start the second quarter with three more points. 
• The free throw line started to be a factor for both sides as Cornerstone got into foul trouble. Stephanie Ainsworth and Jaxi Long each had three fouls at the half, while Mackenzie Stien, Kaitlyn Cain, and Parrish Hudson each had two.
• Rochester went 7-10 at the free throw line in the second quarter to continue to chip away at the CU lead. Imari Martin hit a layup in the final seconds tying the game at 43 going into the half. 
• Cornerstone got off to a good start in the third quarter. Maddison Fulks hit a huge three to put the Golden Eagles up seven early in the third quarter, 53-46. 
• A Rochester 10-2 run in the middle of the third quarter gave them their first lead of the game on a layup from Elysia Mattos to make it 56-55. 
• Mackenzie Stien would immediately get Cornerstone back on top, but it would not last long as the Warriors held a 69-66 advantage at the end of the third. 
• The three-ball started to fall for RU in the fourth. Jacara Thompson hit a pair that gave Rochester their largest lead so far, 75-66. 
• Cornerstone, powered by great defense from Kennedy Helderop, chipped their way back into it in the final seven minutes. Helderop hit a big layup that put CU back within one possession with 6:03 to go. 
• Olivia Kubik later found her stride from three hitting two big ones after she started 0-5. The second one gave CU the lead 85-83 with 1:08 to play. 
• After two free throws from Krystal Rice of Rochester tied it, Cornerstone responded with a huge Stephanie Ainsworth jumper to go back up by two, 87-85 with 39 seconds to play. 
• Rochester missed the three for the lead which gave CU the final possession. Freshman Jaxi Long was fouled, and she went 1-2 from the line to make the Golden Eagle lead 88-85. 
• Rochester on their final possession went for two and Krystal Rice converted. A late call from the referee made it an and-one and gave Rice the opportunity to tie the game. She did just that and forced overtime. Stephanie Ainsworth fouled out at this point with five fouls, ending her campaign with 17 points and 12 rebounds. 
• Maddison Fulks was huge in overtime hitting a three to go up 93-92 after Rochester had taken early command. 
• Rochester again took the lead, but Maddison Fulks again responded with a three to put CU on top 96-94 with 1:10 to play in the first OT. 
• The teams traded free throws on the final three possessions with Rochester hitting four and Cornerstone hitting two to keep the game tied at 98 and force a second OT. 
• As the second OT started, multiple players had played over 40 minutes and the two sides visibly were running out of steam. 
• Cornerstone kept it close but could not stick with the battle tested Warriors as they fell 117-107 in the second overtime with Rochester ending the game on a 10-2 run. Rochester went 11-12 from the line in the second OT. 

 
By the numbers:
34-45 – Rochester broke a WHAC record with 34 made free throws in the win and tied the WHAC record with 45 attempts. 
22-32 – Cornerstone added 22 free throws on 32 attempts for a total of 56 points converted at the line. 
27 – Maddison Fulks recorded a career high 27 points for the Golden Eagles. 
15/9/7 – Kennedy Helderop nearly had a triple double with 15 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. 
1/18/12 – Cornerstone played a double OT game for the first time since January 18, 2012, at (3) Davenport.
 
What's next? 
Cornerstone travels to rival Aquinas on Saturday for a rare 4 p.m. start in the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center.  
 
Women's Basketball Contact: Jesse Campbell
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