LIVONIA, Mich. – Grace Christian University (Mich.) gave the Madonna University men's basketball team all they could handle on Wednesday night inside the MU Activities Center, but a last second three-pointer fell short and the Crusaders escaped with an 82-81 win.

The victory moves MU to 10-5 on the year while the Tigers fall to 12-5 on season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Tigers scored the first six points and, after an 8-3 run by the Crusaders, used a 23-8 run to take the largest lead of the game, 16 points, 32-16, with 9:44 left in the first half. The Grand Rapids program kept the lead at double-digits as late as 2:23 in the half, 43-32, but then Madonna subbed in Thomas Simmons and his effort spark MU to a late surge. Dwight Burton knocked down a free throw, Joshua Reynolds hit a big 3-pointer, Simmons knocked down a pair after being fouled on a fast break and Burton converted a fast break layup after a Simmons steal to cut the deficit to three, 43-40, at the half.
• Burton tallied three points the old fashioned way at the 16:46 mark to give the Blue and Gold their first lead, 49-48 and Simmons followed with a Thomas-hawk slam following a steal to push the lead to three and electrify the large crowd. Neither team led by more than three points over the next 12 minutes until a 4-0 run by the home team gave MU a six-point advantage, 78-72, with 4:57 to play. A four-point swing by the Tigers in the final two minutes gave the visitors an 81-80 lead with 1:49 on the clock and it was a Malik Eichler layup, off a pass from Reynolds with 17 seconds left, that proved to be the game-winner. The Tigers had a last chance 3-pointer and a pair of tip-ins that fell short at the buzzer to preserve the one-point Madonna win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Burton finished with a game-high 25 points and also had a team-high five assists
• Jonathan Swift added 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals while Reynolds dropped 14 and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go with four assists
• Simmons netted 11 points as he made all four of his shots and all three of his free throws
• Eichler finished with six points
• Madonna finished the contest 27-of-57 (47.4%) from the field, 12-of-28 (42.9%) from beyond the 3-point arc and 16-of-18 (88.9%) from the free throw line while Grace Christian converted on 34-of-70 (48.6%) attempts from the floor, 10-of-34 (29.4%) from long range and 3-of-8 (37.5%) from the charity stripe.
• The Tigers outrebounded the Crusaders 40-29 and had more points in the paint (40-24) and second chance points (16-7) while MU scored more points off turnovers (24-15) and had more fast break points (12-4)
• A quirky scoring note, the Crusaders have scored 82 points in three straight games and are 2-1 in those contests

CRUSADER VISION


NOEL'S NOTIONS

• On grit and determination to fight back - "It took a ton of resiliency and effort to fight our way back. Sometimes we forget that if you just do the hard work early you don't have to fight as hard to come back. We definitely didn't' start the way we are capable of, but I loved our determination and togetherness to not only fight back at multiple times but to also find a way to get a bucket in the last offensive possession and get a stop at the other end to seal it."
• On Malik Eichler - "Malik is developing exactly as we want him to. I know most people probably expect more scoring from him, but we just have such talented guards we don't force it inside to him. He's becoming a dominant defensive player and a real presence on offense. That last play was such an unselfish play and the open guy making the right play at the right time."
• On Thomas Simmons - "Thomas' effort was amazing. The energy he brought into the game, the way he's ready on call is something we count on from him. Tonight he delivered in a lot of ways and provided a huge spark. It's a testament to his work ethic and his ability to stay ready for the moment."

UP NEXT

• After enjoying Christmas break, the Blue and Gold will hit the road for the Roosevelt New Year's Classic hosted by Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. MU will face St. Francis (Ill.) on Saturday, Dec. 29 at 4 p.m. before facing the host Lakers on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. EST
• Live coverage links, if available, will be posted at www.mucrusaders.com.

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