February 13, 2013
For Immediate Release
Box score
Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Indiana Tech men’s basketball team came close to battling back from a 13-point second half deficit but fell just short, losing 80-77 on the road at Cornerstone University in WHAC action on Wednesday night.
Jeff Hoskins led the Warrior offense, matching his season-high with 19 points while shooting 80 percent (8-for-10) from the floor. Antonio Landers finished with 15 points and has now scored in double figures in six of the last seven games.
The first half was very tight seeing eight ties and ten lead changes, and no team ever led by more than four points.
Landers hit a jumper to tie the score at 39-39 with just over a minute to play in the period, but back-to-back buckets by Ty Mason in the closing seconds gave the Golden Eagles a 43-39 advantage heading into halftime.
Jordan Hickman opened the second half with a jumper to trim the deficit to two, but 11 unanswered points by Cornerstone pushed the CU lead to 13, 54-41.
Still trailing by 13 and 16:00 left on the clock, the Warrior defense tightened up holding the home team to just two field goals over the next 12 minutes while the Tech offense poured in 20 points to close within two, 65-63.
Cornerstone (19-10, 13-8 WHAC) widened the gap to six at the 2:34 mark, but Hoskins responded with a big three to keep the Warriors in the game.
However, the Golden Eagles would go 9-for-9 at the charity stripe down the stretch to hold off Tech’s rally and secure the win.
The Warriors shot 49 percent for the game compared to Cornerstone’s 44. The Golden Eagles had 11 more rebounds than Tech, which turned into 13 second chance points, but the Warriors converted 10 takeaways into 16 points. The difference came at the free throw line where the home team went 20-for-27 and Tech just 12-for-18.
Hickman notched his second double-double of the season recording 11 points and 12 rebounds. Melvin Brooks chipped in 13 points and four boards.
The fourth-place Warriors (21-8, 14-7 WHAC) wrap up the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 16 when they host conference leader Davenport University beginning at 3 p.m. The game holds major postseason implications for Indiana Tech, who can clinch a home tournament game with a win.
For more information on Indiana Tech athletics please call the Athletic Office at 260-422-5561 ext. 2492 or visit our website at http://www.indianatech.edu/athletics
