GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Golden Eagles are set for a pair of huge conference matchups against two of the best teams in the WHAC this week as they will travel to Indiana Tech on Wednesday and host No. 22 Madonna on Saturday. Cornerstone is currently two games back from the Warriors and tied with the Crusaders with seven regular season games remaining. Both games will have live video/stats/audio available with links at cugoldeneagles.com.
Opponent:Indiana Tech
Date: Wednesday, January 29
Time: 8 p.m. EST
Location: Fort Wayne, Ind. (Schaefer Center)
Coverage: Live Video/Stats/Audio
Opponent:#22 Madonna
Date: Saturday, February 1
Time: 3 p.m. EST
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Mol Arena)
Coverage: Live Video/Stats/Audio
Last Week Recap
The Golden Eagles played a pair of close WHAC contests last week, falling at home 78-75 on a last second three to Siena Heights and then responding with a 65-64 gritty win at UM-Dearborn on Saturday. Cornerstone is now 14-8, 8-5 WHAC on the year with just seven regular season games remaining. This week, Cornerstone will take on two of the tougher opponents in the conference in Indiana Tech who is tied for first in the WHAC and Madonna who is tied with CU for third in the current standings.
Freshman Doing Work
Freshman
Cory Ainsworth has been a dominant force all season long and has increased his performance since moving into the starting center position five games ago. Before becoming a starter, Ainsworth was averaging 8.5 PPG off the bench and now he is averaging 10.0 PPG after a pair of 22 point performances and an 18 point performance. This past week, Ainsworth added a new career high in assists recording six in the win at UM-Dearborn which is tied for the most by a Golden Eagle this season. Ainsworth also ranks eighth in all of NAIA DII with 44 total blocks averaging 2.0 a game.
Close Games
Of the Golden Eagles 22 games this season, 15 have been decided by 10 or less points, going 12-3 in those games. Last season alone, Cornerstone only played in 10 games that were decided by 10 points or less and went 5-5.
Scouting Indiana Tech
After opening the season 0-4 with one of the toughest schedules in the country, Indiana Tech has hit its stride to hold a 14-9, 10-3 WHAC record and sit tied for first in the conference with seven regular season games remaining. The Warriors have been dominant on the defensive end, holding opponents to under 70 points per game to rank 12th in the nation. Offensively, the three-point line has been IIT's friend, shooting 39.7% from behind the arc. Indiana Tech under the direction of former Cornerstone assistant Ted Albert has seen incredible balance overall, with six players averaging 7.9 or more points this season.
Scouting Madonna
One of the best offenses in the country, who leads the WHAC with 83.2 PPG gets set to travel to Grand Rapids this weekend after losing their last two conference games vs. Lourdes and at Northwestern Ohio. Offensively, the trio of Dwight Burton, Josh Reynolds, and Henry Speight lead the Crusaders as they each average between 14.9 and 22.4 PPG. As a team, Madonna is shooting 48.5% from the field to rank 19th in NAIA DII this season. Cornerstone and Madonna each currently sit at 8-5 in conference play as Saturday's game will be a huge factor in the final WHAC standings.
History vs. Opponents
27-year vet and Head Coach
Kim Elders has dominated both of this week's opponents recording 40+ wins against each of them with a 40-13 record vs. IIT and a 43-12 record vs. Madonna. CU beat IIT earlier this year and lost to MU.
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