March 10, 2007

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - #16 Northwest (Wash.) rolled over unseeded Cornerstone (Mich.), 98-69, in the first game of the Elite Eight round of the 16th Annual NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. With the win, the Eagles earn the first spot in the 2007 Final Four and ended Cornerstone's run of two-straight wins over seeded teams. The 2007 event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).

Northwest, who eliminated top-seed Bellevue in the second round, trailed just twice early on. They took the lead for good on five straight points at the 14 minute mark in the first half. The Eagles pulled away behind a 62% shooting performance in the first half and led by 19 at halftime. Kendrick Holley scored 12 points in the opening 20 minutes. Northwest continued to dominate in the second half, leading by as much as 37 points at one point during the half.

The Eagles continued to shoot the ball well, shooting 60% for the game and 60% from beyond the three point arc. Their balanced offensive attack was led by Kendrick Holley scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He was 7-8 from the floor, 3-4 from the three point line. Stephen Ishmael added 15 points and Chris Keller, Aaron Sawyer and Chase Van Cleave all scored 12. The Eagles held a 42-37 advantage on the glass for the game.

In contrast to their two previous tournament games in which the Golden Eagles shot over 50%, Cornerstone was ice cold in this one, shooting just 30% from the floor. Jesse Tien led the Golden Eagles with 12 points and Andy Bronkema netted 10. John Jonker, who was averaging 19 points in the two previous tournament games, was held to just three against Northwest. Cornerstone bows out with a 25-10 record.

Making their first ever trip to the national tournament, Northwest moves on to the Final Four with a 27-8 overall record. They will play either #12 Cedarville (Ohio) or #13 Mayville State (N.D.) on Monday, March 12 at 6:00 pm. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes Tuesday, March 13, with the championship game to tip-off at 8:30 pm.