GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In a night filled with milestones, Head Coach
Kim Elders capped off yet another incredible achievement notching win number 700 in his Cornerstone career with a 91-83 victory over Saint Xavier. Redshirt-senior
Tyler Baker had a milestone of his own in the win, hitting a three in the first half that gave him 1,000 career points to become the 44
th player in program history to earn the honor. The Golden Eagles are now 2-1 on the year as they will be back on the home floor next Saturday, November 14 to take on Bethel University (Ind.) at 3 p.m.
What you need to know?
- Carter Nyp got the Golden Eagles going early hitting a pair of threes' as CU took a 10-4 advantage three minutes into the game.
- With 12:33 remaining in the first half Tyler Baker hit a three for his fifth point of the game which brought his total to 1,000 for his career. Baker goes down as the 44th Golden Eagle in program history to crack 1,000 career points as CU took a 17-12 lead.
- After the Cougars cut the deficit to just five at 25-20, the Golden Eagles went on a 12-4 run to get out to their biggest lead of the first half at 13 with 7:05 to play.
- Saint Xavier started to find the three ball late in the first half, hitting three behind the arc in the final six minutes to cut the deficit all the way down to three at 49-46 at the break. SXU went 6-10 behind the arc in the first half.
- 10 Golden Eagle players played in the first half and nine scored as Cory Ainsworth led the way with nine points.
- The offense got off to a slow start for both sides to begin the second half, as a total of four points were scored in the first three minutes of action.
- Saint Xavier cut the deficit to one on a pair of occasions early in the second half, but a 12-2 run that saw a combined eight points from Christian Rodriguez and Cory Ainsworth brought the Cornerstone lead back to 11 at 65-54.
- Cory Ainsworth and Riley Costen began to take over with 10 minutes to play scoring five straight buckets to give CU the 77-67 lead with 6:37 to play.
- After holding a double-digit lead for most of the second half, with 1:57 to play the Cougars cut it to single digits. Cornerstone's struggles at the free throw line brought the game to just six at 83-77 with 1:18 to play.
- Riley Costen hit a layup and brought down a huge rebound in the final minute to seal a 91-83 win for the Golden Eagles. Head Coach Kim Elders earned career win number 700 in the victory, the 20th NAIA coach to earn the accomplishment all-time.
Coach E Quote
"Honestly 700 was not really in my mind, I was just focused on getting the win. I give the glory to God and my guys over the years because they are the ones who have gotten the wins for me. It has been a great ride and I am so grateful for everyone I have been able to coach through these 700." – Head Coach
Kim Elders
By the Numbers
700 – Head Coach
Kim Elders is the 20
th NAIA coach all-time and one of three on the currently active list to achieve 700+ career wins as he is 700-255 in 28 seasons at Cornerstone.
5
th –
Tyler Baker finished with 10 points, but his fifth one was a milestone becoming the 44
th Golden Eagle to achieve 1,000 career points.
9-10 – Nine of the 10 Golden Eagles who played tonight scored with four recording double figures.
19/8 – Sophomore
Cory Ainsworth led CU with a team high 19 points and eight rebounds in the win.
7 – Senior
Christian Rodriguez recorded a season high seven assists.
50.7 – CU went 50.7% from the field on 34-67 shooting with the team's top two leading scorers missing a total of six shots on the game.
0 – Cornerstone held the lead from start to finish as there were zero lead changes in the game.
What's Next?
The Golden Eagles continue a home stand with a game vs. Bethel University (Ind.) next Saturday at 3 p.m. inside Mol Arena.
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