GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. –  The top seeded Cornerstone Golden Eagles were unable to complete the sweep of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Titles, falling 72-61 at home in the championship game to the three seed Indiana Tech. CU struggled to hit shots, going 3-20 from the three-point line in the loss. The 25-8 Golden Eagles will now await their first-round opponent in the NAIA DII National Tournament, as the bracket reveal show will take place on Wednesday at 6 p.m. EST. 

What you need to know

• Senior Sam Vander Sluis got off to a hot start in the post, scoring seven of the Golden Eagles first nine points in the game. 
• After trailing 8-4, Cornerstone went on a 17-0 highlighted by a Kyle Hayes three pointer to go ahead 21-8. 
• Indiana Tech quickly responded with a 14-2 run of their own that was highlighted by a Mitch Morken three cutting the deficit to just one and forcing CU into a timeout. 
• The Warriors ended the half on a 7-0 run after a steal and dunk in the final seconds to take a 34-31 lead into the break. 
• CU got back to their fundementals to begin the second half with Sam Vander Sluis and Gabe Meriwether each getting and one opportunities to start the second half, helping them regain the lead 36-34. 
• Dylan Phair hit a three for the Warriors with 18:20 left in the second half to regain the lead that they did not give up for the remainder of the game. 
• CU cut the deficit to one multiple times, but Indiana Tech would end up scoring the final nine points to win 72-61. 

 

MBB | @CornerstoneMBB falls 72-61 in the @WHACAthletics Championship game to Indiana Tech. #TogetherweSOAR @SluisnDice - 23p/18r@GabeMeriwether - 15p/4r pic.twitter.com/hVVucDY08U

— Cornerstone Golden Eagles (@CUathletics) February 27, 2019

By the Numbers
23/18 – The WHAC Player of the Year Sam Vander Sluis recorded his 30^thdouble-double of the season with 23 points and 18 rebounds, leading all scorers on the game. 
8-3 – Indiana Tech went 8-20 from the three-point line, including a 5-5 mark from Mitch Morken, while CU went just 3-20. 
15 – Gabe Meriwether was the only other Golden Eagle in double-figures scoring 15 points in the game. 
14-9 – CU committed 14 turnovers while IIT only committed nine. 

What's Next? 
Cornerstone will await the NAIA DII National Tournament bracket reveal which takes place on Wednesday, February 27 at 6 p.m. EST to see who they will play in the first round of the national tournament. 
 
Men's Basketball Contact: Jesse Campbell
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