OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce came back from 14 points down in the second half but could not finish the rally, falling 64-59 to Cornerstone Christian at home Saturday, Jan. 11. Cornerstone Christian won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Jayhawks 36-29 and turning 15 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points. Head-Royce fell to 12-9 with its second straight loss.
Nick Taubes scored the game's first basket, but Cornerstone Christian answered with a 7-0 run to go up 7-2. A basket by Micah Riebel and two free throws by Bryce Clepper pulled Head-Royce within 11-10. The visitors then scored eight straight points, two of them on second-chance baskets, to build a 19-10 lead.
Taubes then started the Jayhawks' best stretch of the game. His 3-pointer made it 19-13, and after a Cornerstone Christian basket, Head-Royce scored 12 straight points. Taubes scored twice and then set up freshman Alex Jones for back-to-back 3-pointers. The second one put Head-Royce ahead 23-21. Taubes capped the run with a basket off a Jones assist for a 25-21 lead, the Jayhawks' largest of the game. Cornerstone Christian answered with an 8-0 run that included two more second-chance baskets and outscored Head-Royce 15-3 over the rest of the half. Jonah Greenberg made two free throws before the break, and the Jayhawks trailed 36-28 at halftime.
Cornerstone Christian scored the first six points of the second half, two baskets coming off turnovers, and led 42-28, its largest lead. Head-Royce kept chipping away. Greenberg scored twice, and trailing 53-39, Jones hit two more 3-pointers, both assisted by Clepper, and made a pair of free throws in an 8-1 burst that cut the deficit to 54-47. After Cornerstone Christian went back up 57-47, Riebel scored five straight points, including a basket off a turnover. He later made two free throws, and Jones hit a second-chance 3-pointer on a Taubes assist that brought the Jayhawks within 59-57. Cornerstone Christian scored again, and Riebel answered with a second-chance basket to make it 61-59, but the visitors made three free throws to close it out.
Taubes, a sophomore, led Head-Royce with 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting and added five assists, four steals and four rebounds. Jones scored 17 points, making 5 of 10 from 3-point range and 2 of 2 at the line. All five of his field goals came from beyond the arc. Riebel, a senior, had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, six of them offensive, plus four steals and three assists. He also scored nine of the Jayhawks' last 12 points. Greenberg scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting, and Clepper had four assists.
Head-Royce shot 33.3 percent (20 of 60), while Cornerstone Christian shot 42.9 percent (24 of 56). The Jayhawks had the edge from long range, making 7 of 23 3-pointers to Cornerstone Christian's 2 of 17. They also forced 17 turnovers and had 12 steals but scored only six points off turnovers. Cornerstone Christian scored 11 points off the Jayhawks' 15 turnovers and led 14-5 in second-chance points. At the line, Head-Royce went 12 of 20 and Cornerstone Christian went 14 of 20.
The loss leaves Head-Royce at 12-9 on the 2024-25 season.