GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – On one of the best nights of the year inside Mol Arena, Cornerstone saw themselves just short of an upset falling 84-81 to unbeaten (20) Lourdes during Pack the House. CU had two chances at the tie down the stretch but were unable to overcome the deficit they faced in the second half as they drop to 4-3, 1-2 WHAC on the year. The Golden Eagles will look to rebound at Concordia on Saturday at 3 p.m. for another WHAC test. 
 
Game Flow: Cornerstone – 81 #20 Lourdes - 84
First Half:

• In front of a packed house, Cornerstone saw some early energy scoring the first points of the game on a three-point make from Eli Steffen. 
• The Golden Eagles continued their strong start with a 10-2 run as Toby Woolcock hit a three and forced an early Lourdes timeout. 
• Right after the timeout, Toby Woolcock made an outstanding defensive play with a huge block that brought the crowd to their feet. 
• Lourdes started to catch their offensive rhythm roughly four minutes into the first half. A pair of threes from Monroe and Wells put the Gray Wolves down by just two. 
• At the first media timeout the two teams sat tied at 12. 
• A three from Lourdes Jackie Harris gave the Gray Wolves their first lead of the game, 15-14 with 14 minutes to play in the half. 
• Cornerstone would call timeout after a 9-2 Lourdes run. LU led 21-14 with 12:16 to play. 
• The game picked up in pace as turnovers cost the Golden Eagles. CU recorded a turnover that led to a Gray Wolves and one that made it 27-18. 
• Cornerstone started to chip their way back into the game behind some key minutes from Blake Stewart. Stewart would drive coast-to-coast with the ball for a layup that cut the Golden Eagle deficit to two with 8:11 to play in the period. 
• After cutting it to two on multiple occasions, the Cornerstone offense went dormant. Lourdes would go on a 7-0 run to go back on top by nine, 38-29. 
• A Luke Rowlinson layup ended the LU run with 2:57 to play in the half. 
• As the game got more physical to end the half, Lourdes would increase their lead to its largest of 11. Connor Dykema took a rare three though that would fall in the final minute, as CU trailed 44-37 at the half. 

Second Half:

• Cory Ainsworth got active early in the second half with a trip to the free throw line and a reverse layup that cut the deficit to six. 
• A massive Lourdes block led to a three that caused the Lourdes bench to erupt as they pushed their advantage to a new game high of 12, 56-44 with 15:37 to play. Cornerstone would use a timeout. 
• Cornerstone continued to find success going coast-to-coast with it. Eli Steffen would score with 14:09 to play to cut the deficit back to seven, 56-49. 
• Lourdes immediately responded with a three to make it a 10-point game again. 
• After a Lourdes timeout, Luke Rowlinson would hit a three to push the deficit back to five and keep the Golden Eagles within striking distance. 
• The Gray Wolves continued to have a response though as Jackie Harris hit a ridiculous turnaround jumper at the end of the shot clock to bring the Lourdes lead to 73-64 with 7:02 to play.
• The crowd willed the Golden Eagles as they continued to attempt to fight back. Eli Steffen hit a three and Jack Joldersma a layup. Suddenly CU trailed by just three with 4:47 to play. 
• Cornerstone would go to the big man Cory Ainsworth down the stretch, and he would score a crucial layup with 2:12 to play to bring the Golden Eagles within two, 79-77. Heal Coach Kim Elders would then use a timeout. 
• After the timeout, CU got a big stop and Cory Ainsworth would hit another layup to tie the game at 79. 
• A veteran Lourdes team would respond with a huge bucket from Holifield to regain the lead 81-79 with 1:14 to go. 
• Luke Rowlinson would earn a foul and go to the line to tie the game back up at 81. Once again Holifield would score a crucial Lourdes bucket as they regained the lead 83-81 with 32 seconds to play. 
• Cornerstone would draw up a play looking to tie the game. After a tough inbound, CU would get blocked at the rim forcing them to foul. Lourdes would go 1-2 at the line to give the Golden Eagles one last glimmer of hope. 
• Cornerstone had two chances at a last second three but could not hit, falling 84-81. 

 
By the numbers:
50.8% - Cornerstone shot over 50% from the game but were unable to pull it out. 
22 – Luke Rowlinson scored a team high 22 points. 
21/7 – Jackie Harris led Lourdes with 21 points and seven rebounds. 
 
What's next?
Cornerstone travels to Concordia on Saturday for a 3 p.m. WHAC match. 
 
Men's Basketball Contact: Jesse Campbell
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