INMAN, RUFLI LEAD MU WOMEN TO HOME WIN

2/13/2008 3:42:00 PM

By: Patrick Moore
LIVONIA, Mich. - Behind 14 points from Becca Rufli (Fenton, Mich.) and 11 markers from Caryn Inman  (Oxford, Mich.) the Madonna women's basketball team held on for a 50-45 win over visiting Siena Heights inside the Activities Center. With the win MU improved to 12-14 overall and 7-5 in the WHAC, while SHU fell to 14-12 and 5-6 in loop action.

SHU took an early 2-0 lead and led 5-4 with 18:07 left in the opening half and that was the Saints' final lead of the game as the Crusaders went on a 7-2 run to take the lead at 11-6 with 12:19 left.

The Saints cut the Madonna lead down to one on a Lauren Crockett triple from the corner, making it 13-12 in favor of the home side. MU built its lead back out to eight at 23-15 on a Rufli jumper with 3:46 left. SHU cut it down to six twice before the half, but a 5-0 MU run to end the opening 20 minutes gave the royal blue and gold a 28-17 lead heading into halftime.

MU pushed its lead to as many as 16  twice in the first seven minutes of the second half to lead 41-25 behind a Rufli put-back layup with 12:34 showing on the clock. Siena Heights cut the Madonna lead to single digits at 44-35 with 3:22 left but MU regained a double digit margin on two Inman free throws.

SHU got the lead down to seven on an Erin Cassidy layup with six ticks left before Rufli split a pair of charity tosses to give MU a 50-42 lead. SHU's Kara Crossett hit a triple with  less than a second left to make the final score 50-45 in favor of the Crusaders.

Inman led the way with eight rebounds while Lauhnna Waybrant (Ortonville, Mich.) grabbed seven of her own. Onicko Biggs led SHU with 11 points and 18 rebounds.

MU plays its final road game of the regular season on Saturday in a 1pm tip at Concordia.

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