(Grand Rapids, MI) – Concordia men's basketball began the WHAC conference tournament on the road at Cornerstone on Thursday night.  The Cardinals looked to pull the upset as the #6 seed while the Golden Eagles were the #3 seed.  CUAA kept the game close throughout and clinched a monumental 77-69 victory in the final minute to advance.

Colton Ritsema led the Cardinals with 17 points.  Zackary Johnson finished with 16 points.  Matt Lockhart had 14 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.  Thomas Hronis was also in double figures with 13 points.

Matt Lockhart drove for an early layup to tie the game 2-2.  Both teams continued to trade baskets with Bernard Kasanda and CJ Moore scoring early layups.  Cornerstone went ahead 16-8 at the 11:42 mark, but an 8-2 CUAA run pulled the team closer with triples from Thomas Hronis and Zackary Johnson.

Colton Ritsema tied the game 22-22 with a 3-pointer at the 4:11 mark.  Bernard Kasanda hit a triple for the first Concordia lead of the game, putting the team ahead 27-26 with 2:01 to play.  The Cardinals maintained their 1-point lead heading into the locker room.

Colton Ritsema scored a layup for Concordia's first second-half basket.  Matt Lockhart drained a 3-pointer and Devyn Jones converted inside.  A narrow lead continued to change hands with Lockhart nailing another triple and Zackary Johnson driving for a basket.

Cornerstone took a 52-45 lead at the 8:42 mark, but three 3-pointers from Zackary Johnson and a game-tying triple from Colton Ritsema knotted the score 57-57.  Ritsema began to heat up scoring 11 consecutive CUAA points, using an old-fashioned three-point play for a 65-63 lead with 3:50 to go.

Cornerstone took a 2-point lead with 1:37 to go, but a contested 3-pointer from Thomas Hronis put the Cardinals ahead 68-67.  A critical technical foul on the Golden Eagles put Hronis on the free throw line and also gave possession back to Concordia.  The Cardinals' defense clamped down and Bernard Kasanda and Hronis combined for free throws in the final minute to secure the 77-69 upset win.

Concordia advances to play #2 seed Indiana Tech on Saturday, Feb 27th. Tipoff is set for 3pm inside the Schaeffer Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. 

Beyond the Boxscore

• First time since 2012 that the Cardinals have advanced to the semi-final round
• First win over Cornerstone in the last 13 games
• First win at Cornerstone since 2013