GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – No. 2 Cornerstone claimed its tenth Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament title in program history with a 65-51 win over rival Aquinas on Wednesday night. The win lifts the No. 2 ranked Golden Eagles to 30-3 on the season as they will now head to the NAIA DII National Tournament in Point Lookout, Mo. from March 8-14. The bracket will be released on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and it will be streamed live on naianetwork.com.
 
Game Flow
Aquinas opened the game on a 7-0 run as Cornerstone failed to record a point until the 14:17 mark when Sam Vander Sluis hit a short jumper in the lane. A Cory Cox three-pointer just a minute later seemed to light a spark but the offense for CU was ice cold as they registered only seven points in the first 13:55 of the contest on 3/20 shooting. Their defense kept them in the game and as the shots started to fall, the momentum built as the final minutes of the half went on. An 8-0 run late helped CU take their first lead and they extended it to 29-24 at the break.

After the Saints pulled within three on the first possession of the second half, CU exploded with an 8-2 run finished off by a fade-away three-pointer from Kyle Steigenga to put them up 37-28. After a bucket from AQ cut the lead back to seven, Cory Cox caught fire from the field and led a 16-4 run in which he recorded 12 of the points, including a pair of triples forcing AQ into a timeout. The 19-point lead was the biggest of the game but the Saints responded behind the play of Jake Bullock as they cut the margin to just eight (58-50) with 5:23 to play. A huge triple from Michael Bradshaw on the next possession was followed by the seventh 3-pointer of the night from Cory Cox as CU would go on to post the 65-51 win.
 
Say What?
"We didn't want anyone else cutting down our nets but us," – Senior Cory Cox

"It never gets old - especially when you win and get to cut down the nets," – Head coach Kim Elders

"That shot from Bradshaw was big and then Cory Cox stepping up like he did throughout the second half was really big for us," – Head coach Kim Elders
 
By the Numbers
7-31 – Senior Cory Cox hit seven three-pointers and finished with 31 points (2 off his career-high)
37-38 – CU was out-rebounded for just the third time this season (2-1 in such games)
11/10/7/4 – Sam Vander Sluis finished with his 14^th double-double of the season (also had 7 assists and 4 blocks)
6 – Kyle Steigenga was held to six points – only the fourth time of his career (105 games) under 10 points
6/19 – Jake Bullock led AQ in scoring but was just 6/19 from the field
0 – AQ's second-leading scorer, Jeremy Williamson (averaged 15.6 per night) had zero points
 
Up Next
Cornerstone will find out its first round opponent at the 2017 NAIA DII National Tournament on Wednesday during the selection show at 7 p.m. EST. The national tourney runs from March 8-14 on the campus of the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo. All CU games will be streamed live on the Cornerstone Sports Network (CSPN).
 

Men's Basketball Contact: Aaron Sagraves
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