CRUSADERS DOWN CARDS IN WHAC TOURNEY WIN

2/28/2008 3:51:00 PM

By: Patrick Moore
LIVONIA, Mich. -  Behind 21 points from freshman Tabatha Wydryck (Riverview, Mich.) and 13 each from Christie Carrico (Waterford, Mich.) and Cali Crawford (Rochester, Mich.), the Madonna women's basketball team downed Concordia 70-51 inside the Activities Center on Thursday night to advance in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament. With the win, MU advances to the tournament semi-finals Saturday against Davenport at 1pm.

The two sides traded baskets early in the opening minutes of the game, with Concordia taking its only lead of the game at 8-6 with 16:03 showing on the clock. The Crusaders responded with a Wydryck triple to regain the lead at 9-8. with 15:48 left. Madonna extended the lead to seven on a Crawford layup with 13:31 to go but the Cards tied the game at 16 with 10:22 left and two sides traded baskets and saw the game's fifth tie at 20-20 with 6:47 showing on the clock.

MU took the lead again, pushing it to seven on two separate occasions before CUAA stormed back to force the game's sixth tie at 29-29 with 1:10 left. The Crusaders took the lead back for good on a Becca Rufli (Linden, Mich.) layup at 31-29 and pushed the lead to eight using a jumper from Crawford and from Rufli, who also converted the free throw after she was fouled at the buzzer to take a 37-29 lead into the locker room.

Concordia cut the Madonna lead down to six on a trio of occasions, the last coming with 12:06 left in the contest before the Crusaders went on a 13-3 run to put the game away. CUAA got the deficit down to 11 with 6:54 left but could not get any closer as Madonna cruised to the 19 point win.

Carrico also paced MU with 11 rebounds. Jennifer O'Neil was the only Card in double figures with 13.

Madonna will travel to top seed Davenport in a 1pm WHAC semi-final at Davenport. The Crusader Radio Network

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