March 9, 2007

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - Unseeded Cornerstone University (Mich) pulled off its second straight upset over #8 Walsh (Ohio), 78-56, to advance to the quarterfinal round of the 16th-Annual NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The Golden Eagles knocked off #9 Sioux Falls in the opening round, 74-60. The 2007 event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).

It didn't take long for the first upset to occur in the second round. #8 Walsh, however, jumped out to an early five-point lead only to see Cornerstone go on a 24-8 midway through first half to take command of the game. The Cavaliers managed to cut into the lead by halftime, trailing 32-37. Walsh continued to battle back as the second period got under way, cutting the lead down to one in the opening minutes of the second half. Cornerstone, however, erupted and outscored the Cavaliers 27-7 over the next 10 minutes to up their lead to 20 and seal their upset win.

Five Cornerstone players were in double figures led by John Jonker who made 10-17 field goal attempts en route to 24 points. Andy Bronkema added 13 and Jesse Thien, Kevin Wurn and Corey DeSantis netted 10. The Golden Eagles shot a much better percentage than their game one win over Sioux Falls, shooting 54% from the floor. They committed just five turnovers against the Cavaliers. Cornerstone advances to the Elite Eight for the fifth time in the past seven years.

Walsh was led by senior Adam Lesch who scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Josh Johnson added 13 points for the Cavaliers, who shot just 37% from the floor and just 16% from the three point arc. Brandon Weems dished out six assists and leads the tournament with 16. The Cavaliers were making their third consecutive trip to the national tournament, winning the championship in 2005 and reached the Elite Eight last season. The Cavaliers end their season with a 28-6 overall record.

Cornerstone improves to 25-9 overall and will face either top seeded Bellevue (Neb.) or #16 Northwest (Wash.) in Saturday's quarterfinal game scheduled for 1:00 pm. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes Tuesday, March 13.