Nunn v CUAA
Kellen Burke - MU Sports Media
84
Winner Lawrence Tech LAWRENCE 19-9, 15-7
81
Madonna MADONNA 23-5, 19-3
Winner
Lawrence Tech LAWRENCE
19-9, 15-7
84
Final
81
Madonna MADONNA
23-5, 19-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Lawrence Tech LAWRENCE 35 49 84
Madonna MADONNA 30 51 81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Kellen Burke

Crusaders upset on Senior Day

LIVONIA, Mich. - The Crusaders (23-4, 19-2) returned home today for the final game of their historic 2023-24 regular season against crosstown rivals: the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils (18-9, 14-7). The game would start out as a defensive head-to-head, but the tables would turn in the second half as it became an offensive explosion with 100 combined points in the final twenty minutes. While the game would be dramatically close for all forty-minutes, the Crusaders would find themselves on the wrong side of a one-score game at the buzzer. The Blue Devils took an 84-81 victory over the Crusaders, but Madonna would still finish the season as Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Champions.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Crusaders took time before the game to honor the team's graduating seniors: Devin Dunn, Ryan Nunn, Garrett Balazsi, and Jordan Graham, along with student assistants Devin Romaniw and Trent Graves.

The Blue Devils were able to get the jump on the Crusaders early in the first half, forcing them to play from behind for nearly the entirety of the game. Despite the Blue Devils' tough defense, the Crusaders were able to keep it close, going into halftime only down 35-30.

The real difference of the game would be the Blue Devils' ridiculous shooting percentage in the second half. Only shooting 40-percent from the field and 13-percent from three in the first half, they would completely flip the script after halftime, shooting 60-percent from the field and 57-percent from behind the arc.

Even despite the insane stats the Blue Devils put up, the Crusaders held on until the very end. In the final minute, the Crusaders were able to make it within three points of the Blue Devils, but the ball would not roll in the favor of the Crusaders as their last shot to tie the game did not fall. The Blue Devils would take a 84-81 win over the Crusaders, who still sit atop the WHAC going into the postseason despite this heartbreaking loss.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
  • Isaac Anderson recorded 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
  • Brendan Young scored a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, along with two steals.
  • Matthew MacLellan scored 13 points with nine rebounds.
  • Ryan Nunn scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
UP NEXT: 

Finishing the 2023-24 season as regular-season WHAC Champions, the Crusaders will prepare for the first round of the WHAC Tournament this upcoming Thursday, February 29th where they will host the Saints of Siena Heights (10-7, 7-14).

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