Anderson vs RU
Kellen Burke - MU Sports Media
Junior guard Isaac Anderson goes for the contested layup.
60
Siena Heights SIENA HE 11-18, 8-14
72
Winner Madonna MADONNA 24-5, 19-3
Siena Heights SIENA HE
11-18, 8-14
60
Final
72
Madonna MADONNA
24-5, 19-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Siena Heights SIENA HE 39 21 60
Madonna MADONNA 30 42 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Kellen Burke

Crusaders surge past Saints with second-half rally

LIVONIA, Mich. - The Madonna Crusaders (23-5, 19-3) kicked off the 2024 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament by hosting the Saints of Siena Heights (11-17, 8-14). In a surprise to everyone, the Saints would come out of the gate shooting historically well, jumping ahead by nearly double-digits after the first half. However, the Crusaders would have a historic half of their own after the break, outscoring the Saints 42-21 and going on to win 72-60 as they live to play another day in the WHAC Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

With a start that no one saw coming, the Saints came out scorching, shooting 50-percent from the field and 50-percent from behind the arc in the first twenty minutes of play. Junior guard Isaac Anderson kept the Crusaders in the game, the lone bright spot of the first half for Madonna with 17 points, four rebounds, and two assists on 75-percent shooting. The Crusaders would find themselves down 39-30 at halftime.

The script would completely flip in the second half as the Saints cooled off after the break, while the Crusaders got rolling. Junior center Matthew MacLellan would open things up with a layup on the opening possession, giving the Crusaders the momentum back. Three minutes into the second half, senior guard Devin Dunn would knock down a deep three-pointer to cut the lead back to two. After Anderson tied the game up at 43-43, the Saints would just barely hold on to the lead for the next few minutes. It wasn't until junior forward Brendan Young pulled up from behind the arc on a fast-break after nearly 27 minutes of play that the Crusaders would take their first lead of the game, up 48-45 on the Saints.

Once they claimed the lead the Crusaders refused to let off the gas. Checking into the game for the first time since January, junior guard Ethan Emerzian would drain a three-pointer on his first shot attempt to extend the lead to eight. Two minutes later, Emerzian would pull up from 35-feet and swish his second shot attempt and second three-pointer of the night. With ten minutes remaining in play, the Crusaders now led 58-50.

A fast-break layup by senior guard Ryan Nunn would give them their first double-digit lead of the night with seven minutes remaining. From there, the Crusaders would steadily hold on by double-digits for the rest of the game. They would go on to win 72-60 over the Saints, advancing to the next round of the WHAC Tournament.

INSIDE NUMBERS:
  • Anderson led the team with 19 points, while also grabbing five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
  • MacLellan recorded 15 points, 12 of which came in the second half.
  • Young scored 13 points, led the team with nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
  • Dunn recorded five assists and grabbed two steals.
UP NEXT: 

One week after upsetting the Crusaders in the final game of the regular season, the Blue Devils of Lawrence Tech (20-9, 15-7) will return to ACCU Arena for a rematch in round two of the WHAC Tournament. Tip-off is set for 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 2nd at ACCU Arena in Livonia, Mich.

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