WARRIORS STUMBLE AGAINST CORNERSTONE

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - Rochester (17-10, 12-11) had trouble getting anything going against the Cornerstone Golden Eagles (21-7, 17-5) on Saturday, Feb. 24, falling 100-74. Offensive rebounds gave Rochester fits, as the Golden Eagles found easy buckets off the glass.

Brody Parker had a good game off the bench for the Warriors, scoring 16 points on 3-4 from three. Gunner Walters and Anthony Cukaj also had efficient outings, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively. Five Golden Eagles scored in double figures, led by center Corey Ainsworth with a 22-8-4 line.

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST HALF

• It was a competitive start to the half, with the Warriors jumping out to a 12-4 lead off threes from Cukaj and Brandon Michrina. Walters hit a jumper to keep Rochester leading at seven, but the Golden Eagles started to succeed in the paint off excellent ball movement. In a flash, Cornerstone tied and took the lead, not surrendering it for the rest of the game
• Rochester fought to claw back, with James Fisher getting a post hook and dunk to go. However, the Golden Eagles went on a three-point barrage to blossom the lead to 14 points, shooting efficiently while Rochester had trouble getting jumpers to fall

SECOND HALF

• Things didn't get much better for the Warriors, as following an Anthony Cukaj layup, the Golden Eagles took over from deep to balloon their advantage even more. Walters sank a pair of jumpers, but the lead continued to grow as the Golden Eagles recovered many of their misses for putbacks
• Parker displayed his great shotmaking ability, hitting jumpers and floaters from all around the floor to try and get Rochester back in it. Bralin Toney also hit a pair of threes, but the Golden Eagles couldn't do anything wrong on the offensive end. Caleb Byrd and Zane Draper also provided good minutes for Rochester down the stretch, but the deal was sealed long before the final buzzer

STAT OF THE GAME

Cornerstone won the hustle game, outrebounding Rochester on the offensive glass 18-5.

UP NEXT

The Warriors take on #13 Lourdes on the road for the 2023-24 WHAC Tournament First Round on Thursday, Feb. 29.

Hussein Murray - RU Athletic Communications

Featured Image: Hanna Swanson - RU Athletics