DEARBORN, Mich.-- After a four-point deficit heading into the locker room at halftime, the Madonna University Men's Basketball team stormed back at Henry Ford Community College Tuesday evening with 48 second half points to pick up a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) win over University of Michigan-Dearborn in a 82-59 score. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

With a first-half shooting percentage of 42.4%, the Crusaders started out the game with a Matthew MacLellan layup as both teams jabbed at one another for the first few minutes with MacLellan scoring the first seven points. As the Wolverines went on a small run of their own, a Brendan Young steal led to a Ryan Nunn layup as UM Dearborn continued to pull away.

Levente Molnar and Jordan Graham did all they could to keep the Wolverines within a short distance as the home team hit 16-39 from the field and benefited from Madonna's nine turnovers. Ryan McMullen's dunk at the end of the half brought Madonna within four. 

The freshmen Ethan Emerzian and Young got things fired off as the Crusaders' bench must have had flashbacks to Saturday with Emerzian draining three-straight three pointers taking a seven-point lead with Graham's layup making it nine. MacLellan and Nunn then poured it on as the game approached 10 minutes to go. 

From 10:59 to 7:17 in the second half, UM Dearborn found themselves in a scoring drought, sinking in once more for another minute and a half as MacLellan, Graham, and Devin Dunn inflated Madonna's lead to 19 with two minutes remaining. In the end, it was a layup by Graham that would seal the deal for Madonna's 82-59 win on the road. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Emerzian once again led the team with 18 points while three other Crusaders get double-digits with MacLellan and Graham's 16 and Young's 13
• MacLellan also hit a double-double in the game with 10 rebounds to his name 
• Shooting in the second half was calibrated in the locker room as the Crusaders improved from their first half numbers (42.42% FG, 25% 3PT, 80% FT) to the second half (55.17% FG, 54.55% 3PT, 58.82% FT)
• The Crusaders forced 16 turnovers through the game, scoring 27 points off the Wolverines' mistakes
• At the 8:34 mark in the first half, Madonna was down by as many as 12. With 25 seconds to in the game, the Crusaders were up by 25

UP NEXT

After Thanksgiving break the Crusaders will host Concordia University Ann Arbor in yet another WHAC contest on Wednesday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m. 

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