GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The No. 8 ranked men's basketball team rebounded from a tough loss on Friday in a big way as they took down the No. 2 ranked and defending national champions, Indiana Wesleyan, on Saturday afternoon 90-83. In a meeting between the two schools that have won four of the last six NAIA DII championships, it came down to the last few minutes as CU posted the 7-point win. The Golden Eagles will return to action next Saturday when they host No. 5 Saint Francis (Ill.) at 3 p.m.
 
Game Flow
The first half was a see-saw affair that saw the host Golden Eagles hold a slim 45-42 lead. The Wildcats stayed close to Cornerstone thanks to an 8/14 shooting performance from behind the arc but CU took a lead on a 3-pointer of their own from Riley Costen with 15:26 to play and they never trailed for the remainder of the half, leading by as many as nine (39-30) after a pair of Kyle Steigenga FT's.

That halftime margin of three was extended to as many as six in the first five minutes of the second half but IWU used an 11-2 run to open their own lead of four points at the halfway mark of the second. That lead continued to grow for the Wildcats and with 5:32, they built it up to eight (75-67)

CU then started to chip away at the lead and after a 3-pointer from Michael McLaughlin and layup from Steigenga, had themselves a 79-78 lead and it would be one they would not let up. After a Sam Vander Sluis layup and a crowd erupting 3-point play from Steigenga, CU was up six and they iced the game with solid free-throw shooting down the stretch.
 
Say What?
"We came together through adversity in the second half with guys stepping up at the perfect time. This is great for us going forward because we learned a lot about what areas we need to improve on" – Senior Michael McLaughlin
 
By the Numbers
21/16 – Kyle Steigenga posted his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 16 rebounds
23 – Points from Michael McLaughlin to lead his team
28/32 – CU made 87.5% of their shots from the charity stripe
35-27 – CU outrebounded the Wildcats 35-27
 
Up Next
Cornerstone will host No. 5 Saint Francis (Ill.) next Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
Men's Basketball Contact: Aaron Sagraves
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