Strong Second Half Propels No. 7 CU Past Men’s Basketball

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DETROIT — Outnumbered and outsized, Marygrove men’s basketball couldn’t keep up with NAIA Division II No. 7 Cornerstone, watching the Golden Eagles pull away to win 105-81 inside Detroit’s Northwest Activities Center on Saturday (Feb. 14) behind a combined 57 points from Ben Lanning and Kyle Steigenga. Marygrove’s Darryll Dixon countered with 25 points of his own, but the senior guard and the Mustangs couldn’t keep the Golden Eagles from pounding the paint as the visitors went on to win the conference affair by 24.

Dixon (Flint, Mich./Hamady High School) was one of six Mustangs (3-25, 1-19 WHAC) to tally at least five points in the first half as the Green and Gold frustrated the highly-ranked Golden Eagles in the early stages of the game. Dixon and freshman guard Tyler Sykes (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson High School) poured in nine first-half points each to lead the Mustangs to a 42-41 edge with 2:47 remaining in the opening half.

The Golden Eagles, thanks to a huge size advantage, finished the first half on an 11-0 run over the final 2:47 to take a 52-42 lead into the halftime break. The 11-0 run was a product of a 28-12 advantage in points in the paint for the Golden Eagles (23-5, 17-3 WHAC) as momentum shifted back to the visitors heading into the second half.

A Steigenga lay-in with 11:02 to play in the contest gave the Golden Eagles a 73-53 lead and put a cap on a 21-11 burst to begin the latter stanza. The Mustangs battled back behind strong finishes from Dixon and Diante Taylor (Battle Creek, Mich./Central High School), but the pair couldn’t keep the Golden Eagles off the board as the visitors pulled away to win.

The Golden Eagles owned a 56-24 advantage in points in the paint and a 19-4 edge in second-chance points to distance themselves from the Mustangs in the conference contest.

Dixon was efficient from the charity stripe, connecting on 13-of-15 free throws to make up just more than half of his team-best 25 points. Taylor notched his fifth double-double of the season with a 16-point, 11-rebound game and Ta’Kein Dixson (Atlanta, Ga./Loganville High School) finished with 14 points to help the Mustangs reach the 80-point mark for only the second time since the calendar turned to 2015.

Steigenga led all scorers with 31 points, adding 10 rebounds, while Lanning chimed in with 26 points and eight rebounds. Cory Cox dropped in 18 points and pulled in eight rebounds to round out the leaders for the Golden Eagles.

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

MEN’S BASKETBALL CONTACT: Tim Johnston | [email protected] /* */ | @tjohnston56
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