WARRIORS DEFEATED BY CORNERSTONE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Rochester (7-8, 4-5) put itself in a good spot for the majority of its matchup with Cornerstone (8-6, 6-3), but a crucial third quarter gave the Golden Eagles the edge over the Warriors 68-60 in Rochester's first loss in the matchup's history on Wednesday night.

Four starters scored in double figures for the Warriors, with senior guard Celeste Mershimer leading the way with 14 points. Center Melanie Moore recorded her third double-double of the season, scoring 12 while grabbing 12 rebounds. Cornerstone's Olivia Kubik and Stephanie Ainsworth combined for 38 points, while Ainsworth grabbed 13 boards.

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST HALF

• The opening quarter saw seven Warriors put up points efficiently, with Rochester shooting over 50% from the field. Guard Imari Martin had an impressive period facilitating, with four assists. The Golden Eagles shot 4-8 from three in the quarter and had a three point lead at the first buzzer
• Rochester had a strong second quarter, out-scoring the hosts 16-11 to take a lead into halftime. Martin and Mershimer led the Warriors in scoring, while forward Jacey Somer hit a three off the bench to give Rochester momentum. The Warriors shot 4-9 from three in the quarter while holding Cornerstone to sub-30% shooting

SECOND HALF

• The Golden Eagles found answers on defense in the third quarter, holding the Warriors to six points on 3-15 shooting and 0-7 from three. Despite five offensive rebounds by Rochester, paint points were difficult to capitalize on
• The teams traded points in the fourth quarter, freshman Riley Place shooting 3-3 from the field, including two important threes to keep Rochester within distance. Martin again had four assists, but the Golden Eagles' Mackenzie Stein helped keep things out of reach by grabbing three offensive rebounds on key possessions to keep the Warriors' comeback effort at bay

POSTGAME PRESSER

Head Coach Jared Ocampo had this to say on the loss:

"It was a tough loss tonight. I thought our effort was there. We showed a lot of fight. However, we have to play a full game. We have to put it all together for a full 40 minutes. We had many great looks we wanted on the offensive end.

We have to finish more opportunities at the cup, we have to hit more of the open shots. Ultimately, our defense has to be better. We still have missed assignments on the defensive end and allow opponents to play to their strengths. We have to understand it all comes with experience, and we have to continue to put the work in."

STAT OF THE GAME

Stats for both teams were relatively even, but Cornerstone's efficiency at the free throw line helped them secure a win at home. Eight more made free throws than Rochester provided separation.

UP NEXT

The Warriors will return home to face off with the Lourdes Gray Wolves (5-9, 3-6) on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 1 p.m. in Garth Pleasant Arena.

Hussein Murray - RU Athletic Communications

Featured Image: Hanna Swanson - RU Athletics