GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Golden Eagles already had at least a share of their 9
th WHAC regular season title, but a 79-66 win over rival Davenport on Saturday afternoon gave them the championship outright.
Kyle Steigenga led CU with 21 points and 12 rebounds as CU improves to 26-2 overall and 19-1 in the WHAC. Cornerstone will head to cross-town foe Aquinas on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. tip.
Game Flow
In what may be the last meeting between two great rivals, Davenport got the upper hand early as they scored the first four points of the game. CU responded with an 11-5 spurt finished off by six straight points from Steigenga. After DU tied it at 11-11, the Golden Eagles went on a 13-2 run that was highlighted by a 3-point play and a deep triple from
Michael Bradshaw, forcing the Panthers into a pair of timeouts. The lead grew to as many as 14 after a
Michael McLaughlin 3-pointer but DU closed the half by scoring 16 of the final 22 points to make it 39-35, in favor of CU.
Davenport kept the momentum into the early parts of the second half as they had the margin down to just two (41-39) but five straight points from McLaughlin and Steigenga upped it back to seven and the Panthers never got any closer than five for the remainder of the half. CU hit their foul shots down the stretch to ice the win and claim the WHAC title outright.
Say What?
"We learned quite a few things watching film this week and our guys executed much of the game plan. It's always nice to get a win against a quality opponent and now we need to keep the momentum going into the tourney with two more big games next week" – Head Coach
Kim Elders
By the Numbers
34/25 – Steigenga (21/12) and
Sam Vander Sluis (13/13) combined for 34 points and 25 rebounds
35-32 – CU out-rebounded the Panthers by three
18-9 – Cornerstone doubled up the Panthers in assists (8 from McLaughlin)
7/28 – CU won by 13 despite struggling from behind the arc (.250)
18/21 – The Golden Eagles were solid at the line while DU was solid as well (20/26)
Up Next
Cornerstone will take on cross-town rival Aquinas in their next meeting as they face the Saints Wednesday at 8 p.m. on the road.
Men's Basketball Contact:
Aaron Sagraves
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