Men's Basketball Upcoming:

Wednesday, January 18th, vs. Cornerstone University (Mich.), 7:30 PM

Saturday, January 21st, vs. Rochester University, 3:00 PM 


Women's Basketball Upcoming:

Wednesday, January 18th, vs. Cornerstone University (Mich.), 5:30 PM

Friday, January 20th, vs. Rochester University, 1:00 PM 


HOME GAME TICKETS: All Madonna University Men's and Women's Basketball home game tickets can be purchased here in partnership with Hometown Ticketing. All visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time using the link.
Last Time Out: Madonna went 1-1 last week in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference action. The Crusaders defeated Aquinas College in Grand Rapids on Wednesday night 69-68, before falling at Indiana Tech 72-63 on Saturday. On Saturday against the Warriors, the Crusaders jumped out to an early lead but a 19-6 run to close the first half allowed the 11th ranked Warriors to take a 36-25 lead into halftime. 

In the second half, Madonna tried to stay with the hosts, outscoring Indiana Tech 38-36. However, the halftime deficit was too much to overcome, and the Warriors escaped with the victory. Mark Mettie led all players with 16 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks, while Ryan Nunn scored 11 points in the second half for the Crusaders.

Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles enter the week receiving votes in the NAIA National Poll. Cornerstone is 13-6 overall and 7-4 in WHAC play on the season. Last week, the Golden Eagles fell in overtime to the red-hot Lawrence Tech University Blue Devils on Wednesday night in Mol Arena. They bounced back Saturday with a 90-69 home victory over the University of Northwestern Ohio. Earlier this year, Cornerstone defeated Madonna 94-92 on their home court. Carter Nyp had a career-high 37 points against the Crusaders and is averaging 15.3 points per game this season. Leading the Golden Eagles in scoring is Cory Ainsworth (18.1 PPG). Ainsworth is also grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game and leads the conference in field goal percentage at 70.1 %. Cornerstone also had double-digit scorers in Luke Rowlinson (14.7 PPG) and Eli Steffan (10.4 PPG). The Golden Eagles are led by 30th year head coach Kim Elders.

Scouting Rochester: Rochester went 2-0 last week in WHAC play with a 98-50 win over UNOH on Wednesday and a 78-68 victory at Concordia Ann Arbor on Saturday. The Warriors are 13-5 overall and 8-3 in conference play. One of those three WHAC losses came from the Crusaders, who went to Rochester and earned a 66-49 victory. James Ballard leads the Warriors statistically with 13.4 PPG and 7.8 rebounds per game. Anthony Cukaj (12.7 PPG), Brandon Michrina (11.7 PPG), and Gunner Walters (10.3 PPG) are other solid scoring options for Rochester. Walters is also leading the team in assists with 5.8 per game and is shooting 42.4 % from three-point range. Head Coach Klint Pleasant is in his 12th season leading the Warriors. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Mettie, Henry Speight, and Brendan Young are leading the Crusaders in scoring with each player posting 14+ PPG. In the first matchup with Cornerstone, Speight scored a season-high 30 points and was 7-of-10 from three-point land. Young leads the WHAC in rebounding with 8.9 per game, which includes a 20 rebound performance in a 108-77 victory over the University of Michigan-Dearborn. In five games this season, Young has posted a double-digit rebound total. Despite missing the Cornerstone game, Mettie is still sixth in the conference in scoring with 15.7 PPG. 
 
Last Time Out: The Crusaders fell in both WHAC contests last week, losing 49-44 at Aquinas College on Wednesday and dropping an 82-43 decision to No. 13 Indiana Tech on Saturday. 

The Warriors jumped out to a 42-10 halftime lead on Saturday, however Madonna showed some fight in the second half, only being outscored 23-18 in the third quarter and 17-15 in the fourth. Indiana Tech proved to be too much however and cruised to the victory. 

Scouting Cornerstone: Despite a 9-9 overall record, the Golden Eagles are 8-3 in the WHAC, including an 85-55 victory over Madonna back in November. The three losses in conference play came from Indiana Tech, Rochester, and Lawrence Tech. Cornerstone went 1-1 last week on home court with a 82-76 overtime loss to LTU, before defeating UNOH 82-71 on Saturday from Mol Arena. Stephanie Ainsworth leads the Golden Eagles statistically with 12.2 PPG and 7.2 rebounds per game while also recording 41 blocks. Kennedy Helderop is another player to watch with 11.1 PPG and a team-high 92 assists and 42 steals this season. Cornerstone is led by fifth year head coach Jessica Yonkers. 

Scouting Rochester:  The Warriors enter the week on a four game winning streak and sit in second place in the WHAC standings. Rochester is 11-8 overall and 9-2 in the WHAC, defeating Madonna in the first matchup of the season 79-57. The Warriors defeated UNOH 82-61 last Wednesday before earning a 78-72 victory over Concordia Ann Arbor on Saturday.  The Warriors balanced offensive attack is led by Krystal Rice with 11.9 PPG and Jacara Thompson with 10.8 PPG. Rochester is coached by Brett Wichtner in his eighth season at the helm. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Last Saturday against Indiana Tech saw Delani Robinson score a career-high 21 points and grab six rebounds. Ashley Hill scored eight points and hauled in six rebounds. Robinson and Hill are both averaging 7+ points per contest. Sophie Ruggles has been a strong rebounder for head coach Jaresha Obey all season, averaging 5.2 per game and recording 10 in last Wednesday's matchup at Aquinas College.

CONNECT WITH THE CRUSADERS: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
SUBSCRIBE/DOWNLOAD TEAM SCHEDULES: Download Center
DOWNLOAD THE NEW MOBILE APP: Google Play | iOS