GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Golden Eagles are looking to rebound with a pair of conference games this week, highlighted by a rivalry game vs. Aquinas. CU starts the week ending a four-game road trip at Concordia before returning home for the first time in roughly a month with a game vs. Aquinas. Both games will have live video, stats, and audio available with links at cugoldeneagles.com.
 
Opponent: Concordia  
Date: Wednesday, January 8
Time: 8 p.m. EST
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cardinal Fieldhouse)
Coverage: Live Video/Stats/Audio
 
Opponent: Aquinas
Date: Saturday, January 11
Time: 3 p.m. EST
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Mol Arena) 
Coverage: Live Video/Stats/Audio
 
Last Week Recap
Cornerstone was unable to find their offensive rhythm against Rochester last Saturday and lost 73-48 on the road, falling to 10-7 overall, and 4-4 in the WHAC. The 25 point loss is the largest loss in school history since March 10, 2007 when the team lost to Northwest in the national tournament. Cornerstone failed to get to the free throw line against Rochester, only having two free throw attempts, a season low. CU was led by Tyler Baker, who scored 10 points, and added 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the tough loss to start the new decade and year of 2020. 
 
Scouting the Cardinals
Meeting over 80 times, Cornerstone has a long history with the Cardinals of Concordia University. Cornerstone has dominated these matchups, with a 71-12 all-time record against CUAA. Concordia is 6-10 overall, and 3-5 in the WHAC, continuing in the trend of finishing the season under .500, as the Cardinals have not had a winning season since the 2014-2015. Concordia had a tight battle with the number one team in NAIA DII at the time, losing to Spring Arbor by only 3 points, 78-75. Forward Colton Reitsma and guard Jerald Booker place a high emphasis on taking care of the ball, ranking 6th and 24th in NAIA DII respectively in assist to turnover ratio. Concordia also has a team filled with shot blockers, as they rank 24th in NAIA DII basketball in total blocks, with Paul Zysk already having recorded 22 blocks this season, averaging 1.5 blocks per game. Shooting an efficient 46.2% from the field, Concordia looks to upset Cornerstone in Ann Arbor. 
 
Scouting the Saints
Cornerstone has a long history with Aquinas, meeting 82 times since its first recorded meeting in 1983. Under Elders, Cornerstone is 47-22 against AQ, finding extreme success, winning their last 6 meetings dating back to 2017. Aquinas is 2-2 over its last 4 games, losing to Concordia by only seven points, and losing to the NCAA Division I team Western Michigan in an exhibition game. Aquinas is 6-11 overall, with a 2-5 record in the WHAC, beating both Lawrence Tech and Rochester, who Cornerstone just lost to by 25 points. Despite their 6-11 record, Aquinas is well on pace to have more wins than they had last year, as in the 2018-2019 season, Aquinas finished with only 7 wins and 23 losses. Aquinas also kept a tight battle with the number one team in the country at the time in their first game of the season in October, as they lost to Spring Arbor by only 5 points, 69-64. Aquinas has found an identity in their defensive prowess, ranking 12th in NAIA DII basketball in defensive rebounding, and 15th in scoring defense per game. Graduate student Andrew Myers has been a key facilitator and component of their offense, ranking 17th in NAIA DII in total assists with 69. Aquinas spreads the ball efficiently on their offense, as only junior forward David Benton averages in double figures in points, with 12.4 points a game. 
 
Battling Injury
The Golden Eagles continue to battle injuries this season as junior Kyle Hayes went down in the game at Rochester. Hayes return to the floor has yet to be determined as CU gets set to continue the 2020 year with the meat of the conference season. 
 
 
Men's Basketball Contact: Jesse Campbell
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