BYoung vs. SAU
Ryan Mitchell, MU Sports Information
Crusader forward Brendan Young (11) is now tied for ninth-place for all-time in career made-threes for Madonna University during their road win over the Saints
66
Winner Madonna MADONNA 16-4, 12-2
64
Siena Heights SIENA HE 8-12, 5-9
Winner
Madonna MADONNA
16-4, 12-2
66
Final
64
Siena Heights SIENA HE
8-12, 5-9
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Madonna MADONNA 33 33 66
Siena Heights SIENA HE 32 32 64

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Kellen Burke

Crusaders hold off Saints in tight finish

ADRIAN, Mich. - Coming off of just their second conference loss of the year, the Madonna Crusaders (15-4, 11-2) would have to stay on the road and face the Siena Heights Saints (8-11, 5-8). In a matchup that came down to the final shot, the Crusaders would come out on top, bouncing back with a 66-64 victory over the Saints.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The back-and-forth stalemate we would go on to see for the entirety of the game began right at the start, as both teams went shot-for-shot early in the game. The first bucket of the day for the Crusaders came with a slam dunk from center Matthew MacLellan to get the Crusaders on the board. An and-one layup from Crusader forward Brendan Young would put them up by five, one of the largest leads of the game for either team. The Saints quickly climbed back, eventually taking a 20-19 lead just over ten minutes into the game. The Crusaders would quickly reclaim the lead with a three-point shot from guard Devin Dunn, but it was short lived. The dogfight continued until the first half buzzer, with the Crusaders heading into halftime with a 33-32 lead, barely holding off the Saints for the time-being.

The Saints were able to get the first points of the second-half with a pair of free throws, but the Crusaders would quickly take back the lead. Three minutes into the second-half, Young would step back and sink his first three of the game to put the Crusaders up 38-36. With that basket, Young moved into tenth-place all-time in career three-pointers for Madonna University in only his third season as a Crusader.

In the first ten minutes following the break, the Saints seemed to finally find a rhythm and stay a few points ahead of the Crusaders for a majority of play. The Crusaders would find their footing in the final ten minutes, beginning with a deep-three from Sho-Ron Graham to tie the game at 50-50. From there, the game would remain virtually tied up until the final minute, as neither team could pull away. With just over thirty-seconds to play, MacLellan took it himself, driving into the paint for a layup to give the Crusaders a two-point lead. The Saints would have a chance but were unable to find the bottom of the net in the final seconds. With that, the Crusaders were able to hold them off and take a 66-64 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
  • Young led the team with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists while shooting 3-of-7 from behind the arc, putting him tied for ninth-place for threes made in a career. 
  • MacLellan scored 15 points including the game-winning layup.
  • Sho-Ron Graham put up 11 points and seven rebounds, shooting fifty-percent from three.
UP NEXT: 

Staying on the road, the Crusaders will head south to Lima, Ohio, where they will face the University of Northwestern Ohio Racers (4-15, 3-10). Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 31st.
 
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