LIVONIA, Mich.-- Madonna University Men's Basketball welcomed Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference foe Concordia University Ann Arbor in the Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena where Brendan Young and company squeaked out a 76-70 win on Wednesday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Crusaders starting five did work in the opening minutes of the game behind Matthew MacLellan's layup to get us started as Devin Dunn nailed a pair of free throws to put Madonna up early. Jordan Graham flew by defenders as Madonna saw its lead inflate by as much as 11 in the first half before the Cardinals stormed back.

A 13-4 run by Concordia saw both teams knot things up at 31-31 with 3:46 remaining in the first half as Ethan Emerzian, Ryan Nunn, and Levente Molnar fought tooth and nail to keep things close as Madonna would go into the locker room down by one at halftime. 

The Cardinals came out of the half hot as CUAA launched themselves to a 13-2 run with MacLellan's jumper sandwiched in between. Things took a turn for the better once Logan LePage took both of his free throws to the scoring column ahead of Nunn's three pointer in back-to-back possessions. While the Crusaders still found themselves down by eight, Young and Emerzian sparked the midpoint surge where Madonna would close the gap.

A shot from behind the arc by Dunn would once again bring Madonna back from the 11 point brink as a layup and three-point shot by Emerzian would push the Crusaders back into the lead. With a minute remaining, two-straight free throws by Dunn would seal the deal and capture Madonna's fourth WHAC win of the young season. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Young leads the team in points for the first time this season with 16 while Dunn is just behind with 15
• Dunn also accounted for three steals and a team-high four assists 
• The Crusaders forced 14 turnovers, tallying 21 points off the Cardinals' mistakes
• Madonna overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half for the win

UP NEXT

The Crusaders will head to Southfield on Wednesday, December 8 at 6:00 p.m. for yet another WHAC showdown with Lawrence Technological University (Mich.). 

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