GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Senior Caleb Hogans dropped a career-high 36 points to lead the Spring Arbor University men's basketball team to a 72-64 upset victory over No. 8 ranked Cornerstone University in its season opener on Friday night.

Hogans scored the final 14 points for the Cougars, including two huge three-pointers in the final minute, to give SAU its first win over a Top 25 team since the 2014 season.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor 72, #8 Cornerstone 64

LOCATION: Mol Arena | Grand Rapids, Mich.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 1-0, Cornerstone 0-1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After going into halftime tied 34-34, senior Thomas Starks hit a layup to begin the second half and Spring Arbor would never trail again. Starks scored the first five points of the period, increasing the Cougars' lead to 39-34.
• Cornerstone fought back, however, and tied the game on three separate occasions, but SAU showed its resiliency and answered the Golden Eagles each time.
• Hogans hit a three-pointer to put the Cougars up 61-57 with 4:16 remaining in the game, but the home responded with one of their own and eventually leveled the score at 62-62 at the 2:30 mark. Hogans continued his career night though and knocked down a deep two to put SAU ahead. Starks followed with a big-time block on the defensive end, setting up back-to-back, game-clinching triples by Hogans.
• Hogans finished 11-for-21 from the field, including 7-for-9 from behind the arc. He also grabbed five rebounds. Starks notched his 10th career double-double with 16 points and 13 boards.
• Junior Zach Medendorp followed with six points and six rebounds while also adding two blocks. Freshman Paul Marandet dished out a team-high four assists to go along with four points while fellow freshman Jeff Beckman also chipped in four points.
• Spring Arbor closed the night shooting 41 percent (24-for-58) from the field and a blistering 48 percent (11-for-23) from three-point range. The Cougars limited one of the nation's top offensive teams last year to just 33 percent (21-for-64) shooting and a paltry 5-for-21 from long range. The Golden Eagles did hold a slight edge on the glass, outrounding SAU 44-42.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• Tonight's win marked SAU's first win over a Top 25 ranked opponent since Feb. 26, 2014 when the Cougars knocked off No. 12 Saint Francis in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament. The victory was also the first over Cornerstone since the 2011-12 season, ending a streak of three straight losses to the Golden Eagles.
• Hogans etched his name into the program record book with his performance tonight. The senior guard tied the all-time mark for three-point field goal percentage in a single game, matching Mike Folkert's 7-for-9 effort back in 2003.
• Hogans' 36 points were the most in a single game by a Cougar player since his brother, Rob Hogans, scored 42 during the 2013-14 campaign.

FOR THE GOLDEN EAGLES

• Kyle Steigenga, a First Team All-American selection last year, paced Cornerstone with 16 points and seven rebounds. Two other Golden Eagles finished in double figure scoring, including Cory Cox with 15 points and Michael McLaughlin with 11.
• Sam Vander Sluis recorded a team-high 13 rebounds and four blocks.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH RYAN COTTINGHAM

• "It was an outstanding team win, especially after the way Cornerstone drilled us last year. I'm so proud of our guys and really happy for our seniors."
• "Caleb Hogans was huge tonight and made some incredible shots down the stretch. Thomas Starks was really good as well. We were gritty on defense and Thomas did an exceptional job on Kyle Steigenga, their two-time All-American."

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor will be right back in action tomorrow when it takes on Aquinas College in day two of the WHAC/Crossroads League Challenge. The opening tip is slated for 1 p.m.

Men's Basketball Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
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