Posted: Mar 16, 2011
Cornerstone Men Win National Championship
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - Cornerstone University finished the 2010-11 men's basketball as the best team in NAIA Division II by defeating University of St. Francis (Ind.), 80-71, to claim the national championship. It's the second national championship for Cornerstone.
The Golden Eagles had their hands full with the defending national champions, but Cornerstone limited USF to .287 shooting from the field while shooting .509. The game featured 10 ties and eight lead changes.
USF got out to a fast start and built a 14-6 lead with 13:48 on the clock. Cornerstone responded with a quick11-2 run to take a 17-16 lead with 10:14 left in the half. The Cougars regained the lead (26-25) with 5:50 on the clock. Kelvin DeVries nailed a three-pointer at the 4:51 mark to secure the lead at half (31-28).
The second half belonged to Cornerstone. USF grabbed its final lead of the night at 32-31 just :45seconds into the half, but Caleb Simons put the Golden Eagles back on top at 18:46 with a shot in the paint. The Cougars tied the game four times, but could not regain the lead. Cornerstone pushed the lead to as many as 10 points (73-63 with 1:56 left in the half) and held on for the victory and the 2011 National Championship.
Ronald Bates led the Golden Eagles with his first double-double (25 points and 12 rebounds) of the season. DeVries and Simons were both named All-Tournament with Caleb being the Tournament Most Valuable Player. Cornerstone head coach Kim Elders was named the national Coach of the Year. The Golden Eagles finished the year with a record of 34-4.
The team will be honored on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Mol Arena.