LIVONIA, Mich. - Aliance Cathlic Credit Union Arena was packed to the brim by the time the jump ball was thrown in the much anticipated rematch between the Madonna Crusaders and the Cornerstone University Golden Eagles. After losing to them on the road earlier in the season, Madonna was not taking any disrespect on their home court; imposing their will on Cornerstone as they easily secured the 83-65 win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

In the opening few minutes, it seemed like the game would be a tough battle much like their first showdown as the Golden Eagles took an early 11-6 lead over the Crusaders. However, after calling a timeout to regroup the Crusaders came back firing on all cylinders, not letting up for the rest of the game. They quickly retook the lead with a deep three pointer from Henry Speight. Madonna wouldn't sacrifice a lead for the rest of the game as they quickly took a 21-13 lead. As the Crusaders continued to run away with the victory, a showstopping slam dunk from Mark Mettie destroyed any morale that Cornerstone had left. Entering the halftime break, Madonna led 44-35.

The Crusaders seemingly teased the Golden Eagles with a slow start to the second half, before knocking down three threes in a row as they went on a 9-0 run. Just as Cornerstone was able to catch their breath, Madonna fired right back with two more three point buckets to go up 62-46 with just over ten minutes remaining. The Crusaders won easily in their dominant outing 83-65.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
 

• Speight led the Crusaders with a dominant scoring performance of 20 points and four rebounds.
• Deric Murray was a key contributor to their dominant victory with 15 points, three rebounds, and four assists.
• Brendan Young led the Crusaders in rebounds with eight, in addition to scoring 11 points.
• Mettie recorded 10 points, five rebounds, and two huge blocks for Madonna.

UP NEXT

The Crusaders will continue their stretch of home games as they host the Warriors of Rochester University on Saturday, January 20th at 3:00 pm.

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