THE BASICS
Score: #RV Madonna University 100, Lourdes University 86
Record: MU (22-8, 15-5 WHAC), LU (18-12, 9-11 WHAC)
Location: Ebeid Red Center - Sylvania, Ohio
SYLVANIA, Ohio – The Madonna University men's basketball team clinched the second seed in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament with a 100-86 win over Lourdes University at the Ebeid Rec Center on Saturday. The Crusaders' first round opponent and time for the contest will be announced on Monday with the game slated for Wednesday, Feb. 20.
It was a back-and-forth start to the contest as the two teams traded leads before a Clarke Lamb layup sparked a 7-0 run, capped by a Mark Mettie dunk, to push the lead to seven, 14-7. The Blue and Gold maintained the lead until the midway through the first half when an 11-2 run by Lourdes gave the home team a five-point margin. A Mettie slam, Dwight Burton three and a Joshua Reynolds layup put MU back in front and a 5-1 run over the final two minutes of the half gave the Crusaders the 50-46 halftime lead.
Much like the first half, the Gray Wolves hung tough for most of the second half as the teams traded the lead and ties for the first 13:20, but that's when the Crusaders took over. Mettie hit a jumper, Burton scored three the hard way and Antonio Capaldi hit back-to-back 3-pointers to highlight an 18-6 Madonna run over the next three minutes to turn a 71-70 Lourdes lead into an 88-77 advantage with 4:25 to play. The defense buckled down and allowed just 10 points the rest of the way to secure the 100-86 victory.
TURNING POINT
- The 18-6 Madonna run late in the second half to turn a one-point hole into an 11-point advantage
NOEL'S NOTIONS
- "I'm really proud of our guys for they way they competed today and how we finished the final 10 minutes with outstanding defense and continued execution offensively. We had several guys step up today and play well in their roles. It's been key down the stretch this seasons, guys sacrificing for the betterment of the team." - Head Coach Noel Emenhiser
- "It was a strong finish, but now we have to turn the page to the postseason. We are fortunate to be able to host a game on Wednesday and we look forward to finding out who our opponent is and start preparing for that contest." - Emenhiser
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Burton netted a game-high 27 points while Reynolds added 35 and each dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds. Jonathan Swift added 13 points and four assists while Capaldi finished with 11 points. KJ Sayer led the team with six rebounds while Mettie finished with 10 points and five boards.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The 22 wins this season are the second-most in program history behind only the 25 in the 2012-13 season. That team also holds the record for fewest losses (9) and is the only team in program history to win the WHAC tournament and make a trip to the NAIA National Tournament.
- The Crusaders outrebounded their opponent for the sixth straight game (33-29) and won in the paint where they outscored Lourdes 34-28.
- For the ninth time this season MU shot 50 percent or better from the field (55.4%) and it's the sixth time the Crusaders have attempted at least 30 free throws (25-for-31). Madonna is 3-0 now in games in which they shoot better than 50 percent and attempt 30 or more free throws.
UP NEXT
- The Crusaders will be the two-seed in the WHAC tournament and will host a first round contest on Wednesday, Feb. 20. An opponent and time will be announced following the last WHAC regular season contest on Monday as Lawrence Tech faces Aquinas at 8 p.m.
- Live coverage of the Crusaders chase for a second WHAC title in program history will be available via the Madonna Athletics Network at www.mucrusaders.com/live.
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