Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Saints battled with the (RV) Cornerstone Golden Eagles for the third time this season to kick off the WHAC quarterfinals. AQ entered the contest as the number seven seed and Cornerstone was ranked number two with a massive 11-game win streak. The game was close throughout, but a large Golden Eagle run at the very end staved off AQ's upset hopes.

Cornerstone improved to a 12-game win streak and will take on (RV) Lourdes on Saturday.

Cornerstone 97, Aquinas 72

Samuel Medendorp scored the first bucket of the game before the two teams went back and forth over the first five minutes. An eight-point run from the Golden Eagles just a handful of minutes later had CU ahead by double digits. Nearly the entire remainder of the half was CU trying to hold onto its double-digit lead until field goals from Donovan Brown-Boyd and Ryan Weir cut the CU lead to just seven.

The game quieted down over the final two minutes until Cornerstone converted a three-point play to end the half. Jared Lary and Brown-Boyd had the most points for AQ at halftime with 10 points each.

Aquinas kept the pressure on in the second half, cutting the deficit down to just six points after a Weir three with 15 minutes to go. However, the hosts rallied in front of a Mol Arena crowd to go on a quick seven-point run and put the Saints behind by 14.

Devon Boyd got AQ back within single digits again, but the Golden Eagles made a final push to put the No. 2 seed out of reach. A 16-0 run from the hosts to end the game made the score appear far more out of hand than it actually was.

By the Numbers

The Golden Eagles had another incredible night shooting the basketball. They shot 63.5% from the field and 47.1% from three, outshining the Saints' solid 48.3% field goal percentage. CU also held the edge in rebounds (29-20), assists (17-10), blocks (5-2), and steals (8-7). Cornerstone forced 26 personal fouls from the Saints, giving themselves 25 free throw attempts to Aquinas' 10.

Lary ended the season finale with a team-high 19 points on 7-11 shooting, including two threes. He also moved the ball around with two rebounds, four assists, and a steal.

Brown-Boyd had a similar stat line with 17 points and 7-14 shooting from the field. Boyd had 12 points with five field goals and four assists. Medendorp scored nine points with a pair of boards.

Up Next

This result shifts the Saints' attention to next season. Despite the result today, Aquinas has a lot of strong players in place to build off of this offseason, giving Saints fans plenty to be excited about.