FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Madonna University men's basketball used a fast start Tuesday night to defeat sixth-ranked Indiana Tech on the road and claim the 2022-23 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Tournament Championship. It is the team's first WHAC Tournament championship since the 2019-20 season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Madonna started the game quickly, building a 17-5 lead before Indiana Tech called a timeout. Mark Mettie started the game hot by scoring the Crusaders first six points, with both being three-pointers. Madonna grew the lead to 10 points with 14:12 remaining in the first half after Henry Speight made a layup. The Crusaders maintained a nine-to-10 point for the rest of the half and even led by as many as 16, however it was the Warriors who hit the final shot, as Blake Davison knocked down a jumper with two seconds to go for Indiana Tech. At the half, the score was 43-35 in favor of Madonna, who were led by Speight and Mettie with 13 and 12 points respectively. Brendan Young added eight first half points for the Crusaders as well. Madonna was 18-of-34 from the field in the opening half and was 5-of-12 from deep, while Indiana Tech was just 12-of-28 from the field and 3-of-9 from three-point land.

The Crusaders didn't seem to cool down, as they took a 19 point lead with 14:14 remaining in the game following another Mettie three-pointer. Indiana Tech found themselves down by 16 points for the majority of the half, and Madonna took their largest lead of 22 points with 7:52 to go after a pair of free throws by Speight. The Warriors didn't go quietly however, and Madonna knew they'd have to withstand a rally. Tech cut the deficit to just 11 points with 3:49 left, however it was too little too late, as Madonna hit big shots down the stretch to seal the victory. The Crusaders never trailed during the contest. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 

• Young's 23 points and 10 rebounds led Madonna.
• Mark Mettie scored 22 points and had five made three-pointers. The senior also pulled down seven rebounds.
• Speight added 21 points and was 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. He grabbed seven rebounds of his own.
• Devin Dunn posted 13 points as well for Madonna. 
• Tech was led by Josh Kline with 20 points. 
• Madonna defeated three opponents who defeated them earlier this season in the WHAC Tournament (Lawrence Tech, Lourdes, and Indiana Tech). 

UP NEXT:

Madonna will find out where they are going and who they will play on Thursday, March 2nd when the NAIA has its men's basketball bracket reveal at 8:00 PM EST.

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