LIVONIA, Mich. - The Madonna men's basketball team secured their fourth straight win as they came out on top against the Cougars of Spring Arbor University in non-conference action. The Crusaders had their way with the Cougars; running them off the court and winning 99-77.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Cougars kept it tight with the Crusaders for the first five minutes of the first half, as both teams went shot-for-shot with each other. That was until a three-pointer by Brendan Young put the Crusaders up by five. On the next possession, a fast-break dunk by Blake Banks put them up by seven as they began to pull away. After another layup by Young put them up by nine, the Cougars attempted to regroup with a timeout. Coming out of the stoppage, the Cougars were able to score a few quick baskets to cut the Crusaders' lead down to three. The Crusaders shut them down quickly with five quick points by Henry Speight to give them back their comfortable lead with 9:57 remaining in the first half. The rest of the half was all Crusaders, as they went up by 19 points with less than four minutes remaining. Another dunk by Banks on the last possession of the half sent the Crusaders into the locker room with a 52-44 lead as arena went wild.

The second half was just as one-sided as the Crusaders continued to keep the Cougars at bay. However, they failed to pull away any further as the Cougars kept their lead to under ten points for the first seven minutes of the half. Mark Mettie led the charge for the Crusaders in the paint, helping them to take a 64-53 lead. After finally getting their ten-point lead, the Crusaders got a surge of momentum and were able to take an explosive lead over the Cougars, finding themselves up by 19 less than two minutes later. Five quick points from Speight put them up by 23 with less than ten minutes remaining. The Cougars would fail to make any attempt at a comeback as the Crusaders went on to win 99-77.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
 

• Young led the team in scoring with a 24-point performance, along with six rebounds and two steals. 
• Speight was also dominant offensively, recording 23 points.
• Mettie recorded a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also recorded five blocks and three steals to shut down the Cougars.
• RJ Nunn added another double-digit game to his season with 10 points and six assists.
• Banks helped the Crusaders seal the win with 10 points of his own.

UP NEXT

The Crusaders will stay at home to face the Goshen College Maple Leaves on Tuesday, December 20th at 7:00 pm.

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