POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – No. 2 Cornerstone pulled away in the second half of Monday's NAIA DII National Semifinal game against No. 22 Bellevue to post a 69-57 win. The victory lifts the Golden Eagles to 34-3 on the year and into the program's fourth ever national title game. CU will play No. 1 ranked Union College (Ky.) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN 3.
 
Game Flow
In a low-scoring and fast paced first half, neither the Golden Eagles or Bruins could separate themselves after Bellevue made a 13-0 run to take a 22-19 lead with 7:46 to play. The 19-9 margin by CU was their largest of the game until late in the second half and it was not until a Michael Bradshaw three-pointer with 1:29 to play that tied it back up at 29-29 heading into the break.

Bellevue scored five of the first seven points of the second half to take a 34-31 lead but then Cory Cox got hot as the senior scored 12 straight Golden Eagle points to put them up 43-41. Tied at 47 with 12:04 to play, CU got a big 3-point play from senior Eric Readman at the 11:23 remaining and the Golden Eagles never trailed again. Leading by just three with under eight to play, Sam Vander Sluis scored six straight points and CU slowly pulled away for the 12-point win.
 
Say What?
Kyle Steigenga on play of bench and lots of different guys - "At this point of the year, everyone has to step up and we had that tonight and its good to see that we had contribution from a lot of different guys"

Sam Vander Sluis on play inside the paint - "It is pretty important...the team that has the most points in the paint usually wins"

Coach Elders on advancing to national title game for 4th time - "It means everything...and especially for these guys. They have worked so hard to get to this point and they deserve to be in this game"
 
By the Numbers
31/24 – Kyle Steigenga (19/11) and Sam Vander Sluis (12/13) both posted double-doubles
7/4/4 – Michael McLaughlin had an all-around game in points, rebounds and assists
.379 – CU held the Bruins to just 22/58 from the field (including 9/24 in the second half)
57 – Cornerstone has held two opponents this tourney (St. Francis – 58) to under 60 points
43-32 – The Golden Eagle controlled the glass which included 13 offensive rebounds
 
Up Next
Cornerstone advances to the national championship game on Tuesday where they will meet No. 1 ranked Union College (Ky.) at 7 p.m. EST. The game will be streamed live on ESPN 3.
 


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