ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Looking to bounce back from a tough loss, men's basketball struggled to score down the stretch and lost to Concordia 86-75. Cornerstone had a 65-63 lead with 4:33 remaining and got outscored 15-2 before being forced to get quick baskets and fouls in the final minute. Cornerstone has now lost three straight conference games as they sit at 4-4 (1-3) on the season before they head to Indiana Tech on Saturday, December 9, tipping of at 3 p.m.
 
Game Highlights – Concordia – 86 Cornerstone - 76
 

• First Half
  • The Golden Eagles opened the game on a 7-0 run with five of those points coming from Eli Steffen as it forced Concordia to use a timeout.
  • Right out of the timeout, Concordia answers with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game at seven through the first four-minutes.
  • Luke Rowlinson scores six of the next eight points for the Golden Eagles as Cornerstone retakes the lead 15-11.
  • Zavion McClendon for Concordia makes back-to-back threes to give Concordia their first lead of the game 17-15.
  • Bryce Nyboer ends the Cornerstone scoring drought coming up with the loose ball and basket as it is 19-17 Concordia with 12-minutes remaining.
  • Eli Steffen drives and makes a nice lefty layup as Bryce Nyboer follows that up with a three pointer, but the Golden Eagles still trail 23-22 with nine-minutes remaining.
  • Cornerstone continued to put the pressure on Concordia as they used a 9-3 run to take a 31-26 lead after another basket from Luke Rowlinson.
  • Luke Rowlinson continues to be the spark for the Golden Eagles as after Trenton Boike gets the steal, he passes it up to Rowlinson who nails the three to make it a 36-30 Golden Eagle lead with three-minutes remaining in the first half.
  • Cory Ainsworth gets the final basket for the Golden Eagles as Concordia beats the buzzer to cut Cornerstone lead to three, 40-37 at halftime.

 

• Second Half
  • Zavion McClendon started his own 5-0 run to start the second half for Concordia to take a 42-40 lead over the Golden Eagles a minute into the half.
  • It continued to be a slow start in the second half for Cornerstone as Cory Ainsworth has the only bucket for the Golden Eagles through the first four-minutes. Game remains tied 42-42.
  • Toby Woolcock finishes through the contact to complete the three-point play as Luke Rowlinson would follow that up with a nice layup to make it 48-44 Cornerstone with 15-minutes remaining.
  • Concordia drills back-to-back threes to erase the Cornerstone lead to retie the game 52-52 with 12-minutes remaining in the second half.
  • After Concordia took a 57-54 lead, Bryce Nyboer scores back-to-back baskets for Cornerstone to retake the 58-57 lead with 10-minutes remaining.
  • Eli Steffen drills a much needed three for the Golden Eagles to make it a 62-61 Concordia lead with just under seven-minutes remaining.
  • Luke Rowlinson nails a pair of free throws to give Cornerstone the 65-63 lead with 4:33 remaining. 
  • Cornerstone has struggled to score as Concordia has found easy baskets around the rim to take a 67-65 lead with 3:30 remaining in the game.
  • Concordia continues to capitalize on the mistakes of the Golden Eagles as they have pushed their lead to 72-65 with 2:30 remaining.
  • The Golden Eagles have finally started scoring but were outscored 15-2 in that stretch as they are down 80-70. 
  • Concordia iced the game out at the free throw line as the Golden Eagles got cold at the wrong time as the Cardinals win 86-75.

 
By the Numbers
21 – Luke Rowlinson continues to score as he led the way with 21 points.
15/2 – Cornerstone got outscored 15-2 in the final minutes of the game.
11 – Connor Dykema grabbed a season high 11 rebounds.
9/5 – Bryce Nyboer was the bright spot off the bench scoring a season high nine points with five boards.
 
What's Next?
Cornerstone remains on the road as they head to Indiana Tech on Saturday, December 9 for a tipoff at 3 p.m.
 
Men's Basketball Contact: Jesse Campbell
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