Grand Rapids, Mich. – Women's Basketball sees a clutch second half performance lead to an 81-76 victory over Concordia. The Golden Eagles got their revenge as they were defeated in the regular season by the Cardinals on their home floor in mid-January. This time Cornerstone takes all the bragging rights as they punched their ticket into the WHAC tournament semifinals. Stephanie Ainsworth led the way with 17 points and six rebounds for the Golden Eagles. Jaxi Long and Olivia Kubik also dominated with 16 points each in the game. Cornerstone saw Mackenzie Goodwin also chip in 15 points and come up with three pivotal blocks to secure the postseason victory. The Golden Eagles are set for a rematch with the #1 seed Indiana Tech on Friday, February 28 to continue postseason play.

Game Highlights – Cornerstone – 81 Concordia – 76

• First Quarter
  • Olivia Kubik started off the night with a signature Jordan shrug after she made an acrobatic scoop shot to give Cornerstone their first lead of the game. 
  • The Golden Eagles found another quick basket as Mackenzie Goodwin provided a perfect pass for an Olivia Kubik bucket to take a 4-2 lead with eight minutes left in the first quarter. 
  • Cornerstone led 7-4 after a smooth finish inside from Stephanie Ainsworth yet Concordia responded quickly to make it 7-7 at the halfway point of the quarter. 
  • Jaxi Long found her first bucket of the game come from behind the arc which gave Cornerstone a 10-7 lead with four minutes to play. 
  • The Golden Eagles found a new source of offense through Abi Bandstra who tallied four quick points to tie the game at 14-14. 
  • Olivia Kubik finished the quarter with another bucket as she led the Golden Eagles with seven points with the game tied at 16-16. 
• Second Quarter
  • Concordia started off the second quarter with a 4-0 run, but Jaxi Long responded well with a strong take to the bucket to keep the game close. 
  • Abi Bandstra tallied another bucket for Cornerstone, yet they still trailed 22-20 with six minutes left to play. 
  • The Cardinals took a six-point lead at the halfway point of the second quarter with both teams leaving everything out on the floor. 
  • Jaxi Long struck again just before the media timeout with a mid-range jumper to get Cornerstone back on scoring terms. 
  • Concordia controlled the game down the stretch as they extended their lead to 30-22 with two minutes left to play in the half. 
  • Stephanie Ainsworth took an unorthodox shot but drained the deep three pointer to bring the game to 32-26 as the Cardinals continued to hold the lead.
  • Both teams traded buckets in the final minute of the game with the score at 34-28 but Concordia led at the halftime buzzer. 
• Third Quarter
  • The Golden Eagles came out aggressive as Jaylee Long finished off a perfect pass from Emma Costen to get the home team started in the third quarter.
  • Stephanie Ainsworth and Mackenzie Goodwin both found layups when Cornerstone needed it most as Concordia led 39-34 with seven minutes to play in the third. 
  • The back and forth play nature of the game continued but Cornerstone still searched to close the gap as they trailed 43-38 with five minutes left in the quarter. 
  • Mackenzie Goodwin put the team on her back with two back-to-back drives for the Golden Eagles to bring the game to 45-42. 
  • Olivia Kubik put her defender on her back with a sweet ankle breaker and finish in the paint, yet Cornerstone trailed 47-44 with three minutes on the clock.
  • The Golden Eagles found a big time three ball from Jaylee Long cut the Cardinals lead to 53-51 as the momentum in Mol Arena began to shift. 
  • Mackenzie Goodwin closed out the quarter with back-to-back blocks for Cornerstone to only trail by two points headed into the final period of the game. 
• Fourth Quarter
  • Mol Arena stood still for a moment as Jaylee Long knocked down another massive three-point basket as Cornerstone finally took the lead over the Cardinals to start the fourth quarter. 
  • On the next possession Olivia Kubik sliced through the opposing defense and converted a big time three-point play as Cornerstone led 57-55. 
  • Concordia regained the lead off a strong bucket and a foul as we inched closer to the halfway point of the quarter. 
  • Concordia put together a 4-0 run, but Cornerstone responded right away with buckets coming from Jaxi Long and Emma Costen to regain the lead once again. 
  • Jaxi Long knocked down the next big shot of the game with a three pointer to give Cornerstone a 68-66 lead with three minutes on the clock. 
  • Four free throws from Mackenzie Goodwin extended the Golden Eagles lead to two possessions with only a couple minutes left to play in regulation. 
  • Stephanie Ainsworth clutch drive and finish put the Golden Eagles up 74-67 with only one minute left to play. 
  • Concordia rallied back with a 5-0 run to make the game 76-72 as Cornerstone still held the lead. 
  • Stephanie Ainsworth added a crucial bucket off a monster take to the net to get Mol Arena on their feet. 
  • The Golden Eagles closed out the victory with clutch free throw shooting from Olivia Kubik and Abi Bandstra as they advanced to the WHAC tournament semifinals.

By the Numbers 
33 – Concordia saw Abby Long post 33 points, but it remained too little as Cornerstone secured the win. 
23 – Cornerstone utilized turnovers as they scored 23 points compared to the Cardinals 12.
10 – The game saw 10 ties in this back-and-forth battle for the WHAC quarterfinal.
 
What's Next? 
Cornerstone will turnaround quickly as they head to #1 seed Indiana Tech for the WHAC tournament semifinal on Friday, February 28 which marks a regular season finale rematch from last week. 
 
Women's Basketball Contact: Jonny Strube
CU Athletics: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Women's Basketball: Facebook | Twitter