CU Uses First Half Run to Push Past Women’s Basketball

DETROIT, Mich. — The women’s basketball team let a potential upset get away Saturday (Jan. 18) when they hosted Cornerstone University (14-5; 9-3 WHAC)  for a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference battle inside Detroit’s Northwest Activities Center. Cornerstone, one of the WHAC’s top teams this season, entered the game receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches Poll.

Up 25-23 with 6:03 to play in the first half, the Mustangs (2-17; 0-12 WHAC) allowed the visiting Golden Eagles to close the opening stanza on a 19-7 run. The run to close the half would prove to be the difference in the game as the Golden Eagles went on to defeat the Mustangs, 79-58.

Marygrove and Cornerstone went possession-for-possession over the opening 14 minutes of action before the Golden Eagles took control of the game late in the first half. A pair of Ciara Moore (Detroit, Mich./Northwestern) free throws gave the Mustangs their biggest lead of the game, 25-23, before things went awry for the Green & Gold.

Cornerstone pushed ahead of the Mustangs in the first half behind a 20-12 advantage in the paint to take a 42-32 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Mustangs would cut the deficit to single digits once, 42-34, before the Golden Eagles slowly pulled away in the weekend WHAC tilt to win, 79-58. The Golden Eagles kept distance between themselves and the Mustangs by feeding their post players once again for 14 second half points in the paint. In total, the Golden Eagles tallied 34 points in the paint to drop the Mustangs to 0-12 in the WHAC and 2-17 overall.

The Mustangs were led by Moore with 18 points, five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Senior forward Arielle Edwards (Grand Rapids, Mich./Ottawa Hills) followed Moore with 10 points, five rebounds, and an assist, while Breomi Jackson (Detroit, Mich./Tennessee State) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and added four points for the Mustangs.

Cornerstone was paced by Katelyn Cousins with a game-high 25 points.

WHAC foe Lawrence Tech is next on the schedule as the Mustangs will remain home to host the Blue Devils Wednesday (Jan. 22) at 5:30 p.m. The game can be heard on the Mustang Sports Network beginning with the pregame show at 5:20 p.m.

Follow women’s basketball on twitter: @MGroveWBBALL

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