Grand Rapids, Mich. – Men's Basketball went back to work inside Mol Arena with a matchup against Rochester Christian. The first half was a shootout led by
Kayden Bird who shot 6-8 from behind the three-point line to give Cornerstone the lead into the half. The second half was a back-and-forth battle trading buckets all the way into the overtime period where Cornerstone fell shy on the final possession and fell 94-92 to the Warriors.
Game Highlights – Cornerstone – 92 Rochester Christian – 94
First Half
- The Golden Eagles started off the game taking an 8-2 lead as Kayden Bird hits back-to-back threes.
- RCU fought back but a Mark DeVries three maintains a four-point lead for CU.
- The Warriors took their first lead of the game going up 24-21.
- Kayden Bird knocks down another three to keep CU within four.
- Cornerstone cut the Warriors lead to two as Kayden Bird drained another three and Blake Stewart made a layup and sunk his and one opportunity.
- Levi Schultz slams home a dunk in transition to tie the game at 44.
- CU closed out the first half with another three from Kayden Bird and two layups from Blake Stewart who connected on another and one opportunity.
Second Half
- Cornerstone continued their hot finish to the first half with back-to-back buckets from Andy Mora and Blake Stewart to start strong leading 56-47 only a minute into the second half.
- This back-and-forth battle continued into the first media timeout with Cornerstone still holding the narrow advantage 62-57.
- Rochester Christian managed to chip away at the Golden Eagles lead and finally found the lead with 13 minutes left in the game.
- Andy Mora had a strong step back jumper to snatch back the lead and take Cornerstone back into the driver seat at 65-64.
- This high-octane matchup was full of buckets on both sides, but Cornerstone still held the lead with seven minutes to play thanks to strong free throw shooting from the home side.
- Blake Stewart continued to show his dominance down the stretch of the second half with multiple tough baskets off slashing drives to earn Cornerstone a 76-75 lead with five minutes left to play.
- Cornerstone then struck life through Mark DeVries who went on a solo seven point run with tough finishes all around the rim to give Cornerstone a four-point lead late.
- Rochester Christian converted on two crucial buckets in the final minute of regular time to force an overtime period to decide this tight WHAC matchup.
Overtime
- The Warriors opened the overtime period with the first bucket, but Blake Stewart and Levi Schultz responded immediately to keep Cornerstone moving forward.
- The Blake Stewart takeover continued as he added four more tough fought points for the Golden Eagles as they led 92-90 with less than two minutes on the clock.
- Rochester Christian secured two clutch free throws to tie the ball game with 50 seconds left to play in the overtime period.
- The Warriors stole the game at the death with a clutch fading jumper which managed to boost them to a victory over the home squad.
By the Numbers
28/7/7 –
Blake Stewart filled up the stat sheet with 28 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds in the game.
20/5 –
Kayden Bird also was red hot from behind the arc scoring 20 points as well as hauling in 5 rebounds.
14/7/5 –
Mark DeVries also posted 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
What's Next?
The Golden Eagles next matchup comes against Michigan-Dearborn on Wednesday, February 11
th at 7:00 p.m. inside Mol Arena.
Men's Basketball Contact:
Mason Young
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