Cornerstone Sneaks Past Women’s Basketball, 71-66

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DETROIT — The Valentine’s Day contest between Cornerstone and Marygrove women’s basketball ended on a sour note for the host Mustangs as the Golden Eagles escaped the Motor City with a 71-66 victory inside Northwest Activities Center. After going down by as many as 16 points in the second half, the Mustangs climbed to within three in the waning minutes before the visiting Golden Eagles pulled away for the five-point conference victory.

The Mustangs fall to 4-24 overall and 2-18 in WHAC play with the loss, while the Golden Eagles improved to 19-9 overall and 14-6 in conference action after holding on for the two-possession win.

Senior guard Raeha Weaver (Battle Creek, Mich./Kellogg CC) – playing at home as a Mustang for the second-to-last time – was once again the leader for second-year head coach Craig Covington and the Mustangs. The senior kept the Mustangs in it early, posting 15 first-half points on 4-of-7 shooting and a 7-of-10 effort from the free throw line.

The Golden Eagles had an answer of their own in the first half as Jill Hendrickson and Ashley Niedermayer combined for 15 points and 11 rebounds over the game’s opening 20 minutes of action. The pair helped push the Golden Eagles lead to 11 (30-19) after Hendrickson connected on a layup with 5:21 remaining.

Weaver and the Mustangs pushed back to close the half on a 13-8 run, resulting in a 38-32 lead for the Golden Eagles at the break.

The Mustangs couldn’t carry over the momentum to the latter half as the Golden Eagles opened the second stanza on a 21-11 tear to take a 59-43 lead with 10:14 remaining in the conference matinee contest.

Tiffany Bradford (Detroit, Mich./Dakota College) caught fire from there, draining four three-pointers down the stretch to bring the Mustangs back to within a possession from 16-down. The junior guard dropped in three of her second-half triples in the latter stages of the contest, with the final deep basket cutting the Golden Eagles lead to 69-66 with 1:41 remaining.

The Golden Eagles shut down the Mustangs over the final 1:41 of play to win, 71-66.

Niedermayer led the Golden Eagles to victory with 16 points and nine rebounds.

The Mustangs were paced by Weaver with 25 points – two shy of the senior guard’s career-high of 27 posted earlier this season against Asbury (Ky.) on Nov. 1, 2014. Weaver’s big day was followed by Bradford’s 12 second-half points, while Janeesa Jamierson (Battle Creek, Mich./Kellogg CC) and Shavarra Patton (Detoit, Mich./Northwestern High School) chipped in with seven points each.

The Mustangs remain home for Wednesday’s (Feb. 18) Senior Night contest against Concordia-Ann Arbor at 6 p.m. The Senior Night ceremony will take place approximately 10 minutes prior to the men’s basketball contest slated for an 8 p.m. tip-off.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CONTACT: Tim Johnston | @tjohnston56
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