Tomorrow’s homecoming rematch with Davenport marks one of the biggest games of the season for the Cornerstone women’s basketball team.

The last time these teams played on Jan. 21, CU guard Kara Overbeek hit three clutch 3-pointers late in the game to provide the knockout punch Cornerstone needed to steal a 95-81 victory from the then-No. 3 team in the nation.

“It was a big win because it’s the highest ranked team we’ve beaten in school history,” head coach Carla Fles said. “It also gave [Davenport] its first loss, and it kept us in first place in the conference. But as I told my girls, it’s still one game out of 30, and we still have to play every [conference] team a second time.”

This time around Davenport will have just the stage it needs to extract some revenge on the Golden Eagles. Heading into the game CU is sitting atop the WHAC with a 10-1 (21-6) record. Davenport is just behind with a (…) record, and a win tomorrow would not only knock Cornerstone out of first place, but also give Davenport a decisive advantage in competing for the regular season conference championship.

“Their team is going to be hungry,” Fles said. “So that places a little more of a target on our back.”

The Panthers have quickly become Cornerstone’s biggest rival. Last season Davenport snapped Cornerstone’s five-game winning streak early on. Then late in the season, Cornerstone knocked them off in Davenport on a last second possession when the Panthers failed to make three shots attempts in the final seconds. Throw in Cornerstone’s mid-season victory and that makes for a boiling rivalry.

“It’s a good rivalry,” Fles said. “We want to be the best. Both of our programs want to be the best, not only in the conference, but also nationally. Beating them would be good.”

After starting the season with a bit of difficultly, the Golden Eagles are right where they want to be, and tomorrow they hope to exploit their recent mental edge over Davenport.

“Confidence was a huge part of that last game against Davenport,” forward Brooke Carter said. “I think we’re just a good team all around. That confidence brings us a long way. We have a lot of encouragement and that really helps out, helps carry our team.”

Last season that confidence carried Cornerstone to the second round in the NAIA national tournament. This season the Golden Eagles hope to go further.

 ”Coming into the season we knew we could win the conference championship,” Fles said. “We would like to go to nationals. Really, the girls want to get beyond the second round. Our goal is to get the Elite Eight and see what happens from there.”

Navigating through the strenuous season requires more than just skill. The coaching staff is also strategizing ways to constantly rejuvenate the team.

“We’re trying to stay as fresh as we can,” Fles said. “Practices are shorter now, and we go over stuff from our opponent and tweak little things to try to improve.”

The coaching staff has also brought in several male students to practice with the team and prepare them for the more physical games they will face late in the season.

“It helps to simulate games and get my girls a little more aggressive,” Fles said. “If we’re just playing against each other we might not go as hard, but playing against guys, they’re faster and bigger, and it forces us to have to do the little things better and make better decisions.”

All the strategizing, sweat drops and scouting will be tested Saturday against Cornerstone’s highest ranked opponent of the season, and Fles is calling for all the support she can get.

“As a whole we’re all part of Cornerstone, and it’s an activity that can be done on campus,” she said. “Why sit inside and play video games when you can come out and be entertained and be with a whole group of people? It’s fun to cheer. It’s fun to get crazy in the stands. It’s fun to feel like you had a hand in your team winning.”

And tomorrow at 2 p.m. fans that do come to the game will see just how volatile the Cornerstone-Davenport rivalry really is.