Season over for the Golden Eagles in the 2nd round of NAIA national tournament

WHAT: NAIA DII Men’s Basketball National Tournament 2nd

 WHO: No. 4 Cornerstone vs. No. 20 Friends University (Kan.)

RESULT: L 79-69

CU High Scorer: Senior Wes Hudson (24 points)

Key Stats: Hudson finishes career with 2,036 points, Ben Lanning added 17 points and 8 rebounds, Friends shot 58.7% from the floor while going 11-for-18 from behind the arc.

OVERVIEW:

Fourth ranked Cornerstone University men’s basketball team finished their season 30-5 after falling to No. 20 Friends University (Kan.), 79-69, during the second round of the 2014 DII Men’s Basketball National Tournament on Friday evening. The Golden Eagles were led by senior Wes Hudson’s 24 points while seniors Jake Plite grabbed 10 rebounds and Anthony Allen dished out three assists and had four points in their final game as Golden Eagles.

The Falcons from Friends University came out hot converting on 11 of their first 12 shots taking an early 16 point lead. The Golden Eagles chipped away at the lead finding themselves down nine points heading into the locker room. During the second, Cornerstone was able to get within four points with just 13 minutes left but the Falcons held off the Golden Eagles en-route to the upset.

The team says goodbye to seniors Wes Hudson, Anthony Allen, Jake Plite and Alex Lyle.

2nd round preview – Friends Univeristy

What: NAIA DII Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament 2nd round

Site: College of the Ozarks (Keeter Gymnasium) Point Lookout, Missouri

Date: Friday, March 14, 2014

Time: 5:00 PM EST

Opponent: Friends University (Kan.)

Mascot: Falcons

Coverage: Tournament Central, CU men’s basketball Twitter, NAIA championship coverage

Scouting the Falcons

Joe Mitchell: Senior guard, 6’1″, 200 – 32.5 PPG

Anthony White: Senior forward, 6’5″, 198 – 11.1 PPG / 7.0 RPG

Colton Rausch: Senior forward, 6’5″, 205 – 14.5 PPG / 4.0 RPG

Friends University finished the season with an overall record of 25-6 overall and 15-3 in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Two teams from Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference made the NAIA tournament – Tabor College and Friends University. The Falcons qualified for the national tournament by making the KCAC tournament finals against Tabor College, losing 90-81 to the Blue Jays.

 

Friends shoots 52.4% from the floor, ranking them number one in NAIA DII Men’s Basketball. The Falcons also rank number second in both three-point field goal pct. (.420) and three-point field goals made per game (10.23). Wichita State transfer, Joe Mitchell, ranks number one in NAIA DII in points per game and total scoring.

 

During the first round of the NAIA DII National tournament on Thursday, March 13, the Falcons upset No. 13 Northwood (Fla.) with a 90-85 final. Mitchell led the way for the Falcons scoring 25 points while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out four assists. Zach Nelson also added 25 points for Friends. As a team, the Falcons shot 45.6% from the field and 44% from behind the arc.

Cornerstone defeats Northwest Christian in 1st round of NAIA tournament

1st round men’s basketball NAIA tournament – Cornerstone vs Northwest Christian

Click here for the live video webcast ($) and live-stats for the 1st round game against Northwest Christian.

Listen to the game online.

Northwest Christian Preview – 1st Round

What: NAIA DII Men’s Basketball national championship tournament 1st round

Site: College of the Ozarks (Keeter Athletic Complex) Point Lookout, Missouri

Date: Thursday, March 13, 2014

Time: 1:00 PM EST

Opponent: Northwest Christian University (OR)

Mascot: The Beacons

Coverage: cornerstone.edu/tournament-central, @CornerstoneMBB, naia.org

 Beacon Offensive Leaders

• Spencer Coleman: Senior forward, 6’7″, 200 — 17.4 PPG
• Coleton Baker: Senior guard, 6’3″, 200 — 17.1 PPG
• Austin Kuemper: Sophomore forward, 6’9″, 235 — 16.2 PPG

Northwest Christian finished the season with an overall record of 18-13 and 10-8 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

Three teams from Cascade Collegiate Conference made the NAIA tournament–No. 2 College of Idaho, Concordia, and Northwest Christian. NCU qualified for the national tournament by making the CCC finals against No. 2 College of Idaho, losing 83-59 to the Yotes.

NCU averages 73.4 PPG while giving up an average of 70.8 PPG compared to the Golden Eagles who averaged 83.3 PPG while holding teams to 66.9 PPG.

Cox, McLaughlin, and Lanning on first year experience at CU

Cory Cox, Michael McLaughlin, and Ben Lanning share about their first year experience at Cornerstone.

Tuesday Video Blog with Ted Albert and Dominic Allen

Assistant coaches Ted Albert and Dominic Allen give a rundown of Tuesday’s events in Branson.

New Golden Eagle basketball fan

The team poses with Hunter who was at practice today. He’s a cool kid!

Made it to Branson – Day 1

Meeting up with team sponsors, Dave and Sandy from The Bank of Missouri

Finally it’s here, we made it to Branson and the national tournament! The guys had a ton of energy and couldn’t wait to leave. We met for practice Sunday night and then loaded up the bus around 9PM to make our way south. We made it a whole 30 minutes before stopping to eat in Hudsonville (eating, a common theme on this trip). After we ate we started the trip.  

We drove through the night and made it to Branson right around 9AM where we were met by the tournaments best sponsors, Dave and Sandy from The Bank of Missouri. We have a long standing relationship with Dave and Sandy and are so grateful to have the opportunity to have them sponsor us again.

 

After saying our hellos and making some new introductions to Dave and Sandy we went to breakfast. At breakfast we spent time catching up with Dave and Sandy and of course stuffing our faces! After we ate we went back to the hotel for some much needed rest before heading out to practice. 

 

At 3:30PM we loaded up the bus and headed to College of the Ozarks to practice in the auxiliary gym. Practice was good the guys had a lot of energy and focus. We are still working on ourselves trying to get better and be the best we can be. After practice we walked down the hall to check out the main gym. It was cool to see the guys walk in, especially the new guys. For me personally it brought back a rush of memories from the last time I was here; the plays that were made, the games we won, and cutting the nets down. It’s exciting to think about the memories these guys have the opportunity to create this week.

 

Can’t wait to begin!

 

Asst. Coach Dominic Allen

1st Practice in Branson

Coach Elders watches the team practice as they prepare for 1st round opponent, Northwest Christian.