DEARBORN, Mich. - Looking to get back to .500 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, the Crusaders headed down the road to face the highly-touted offense of the UM-Dearborn Wolverines. In a matchup between the reigning WHAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week; Jackson Reynolds (UM-Dearborn) and Ethan Emerzian (Madonna), the Crusaders showed that the best offense is a good defense. They shut down the Wolverines' attempts at offense for the entirety of the game as they cruised to a triple-digit win on the road 104-70.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Despite the large differential in the final score, the Wolverines kept it a close game early in the first half. The Crusaders shot incredibly well out of the gate, but for the first ten minutes the Wolverines stayed steadily on their heels, eventually stealing the lead from the Crusaders 21-17 with just over ten minutes in the first half.

After being surpassed on the scoreboard, the Crusaders snapped back to life and went on one of the best ten-minute stretches of their season so far. Ethan Emerzian would hit a deep-three to tie the game at 21-21, followed up with a three-point play from center Matthew MacLellan. Forward Brendan Young would take a fastbreak three in transition on the next possession, encored shortly after by another three from Emerzian. After getting a steal from the Wolverines, Emerzian would hit his third-three in two minutes of game time.

In the final three-minutes of the half, Young and guard Isaac Anderson would combine for 13 points, going into the break up 56-37 after being down just ten minutes earlier.

In the second half, the Crusaders wouldn't cool down a single degree as they kept firing, while the Wolverines' struggles continued. All five of their starters would score double-digits as the Crusaders won 104-70 and extended their winning streak to three games.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Young led the team in scoring and rebounds with a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double.
• Emerzian scored 18 points and snagged three steals.
• Anderson was on triple-double watch with 17 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
• MacLellan scored 15 points and had five rebounds.
• Ahmoni Weston scored 11 points with four rebounds and three assists.

UP NEXT:

The Crusaders will return to ACCU Arena on Wednesday to face their cross-town rivals, the Lawrence University Blue Devils in their highly-anticipated first matchup of the season. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm on December 18 in Livonia.