Joyner, Wolverines Stun No. 6 Cornerstone in Closing Seconds
DEARBORN, Mich. – With four seconds on the clock and down three, the University of Michigan-Dearborn men’s basketball upset No. 6 Cornerstone University with an incredible finish Wednesday at the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse.
DEARBORN, Mich. – With four seconds on the clock and down three, the University of Michigan-Dearborn men's basketball upset No. 6 Cornerstone University with an incredible finish Wednesday at the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse.
After Cornerstone sank two free throws to go up 66-63 with nine seconds to go, UM-Dearborn raced the ball up into the front court and called a timeout to set up the game-tying attempt. Senior Mafiaion Joyner came off a screen to get the inbound pass and leaned into a 3-point attempt and drilled it while being fouled.
The Battle Creek, Mich., native went to the line and calmly hit the game-winning free throw to cap a miraculous finish and a 67-66 win over the Golden Eagles.
The win is the second straight for the Wolverines over a ranked Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference team at the Fieldhouse after topping then No. 13 Indiana Tech on Saturday. The resurgent Wolverines are now 6-13 overall and 4-6 in the WHAC heading into the second half of the conference schedule.
UM-Dearborn looked poised for the upset early, taking a 23-10 lead 10 minutes into the contest. After the Golden Eagles cut the gap to seven, the Wolverines closed the half on a 13-4 run and took a 16-point lead into the break.
The Wolverines were in full control when Xavier Crofford hit a 3-pointer with 13:36 to play, putting UM-Dearborn up 15, but Cornerstone stormed back, going on a 26-6 run before Joyner's last-second heroics.
Joyner led the Wolverines with 16 points, while Zach Lattimer added 12, including 10 in the first half. Crofford and Jason Gigliotti each finished with 10 points.
UM-Dearborn shot 24-of-62 from the field, 9-of-25 from deep and 10-of-12 from the line.
Reigning WHAC Player of the Week Sam Vander Sluis led all scorers with 20 points and added 17 rebounds for a double-double.
The Wolverines return to action against Rochester College at 3 pm Saturday in Rochester Hills, Mich.
