Matty Ice vs. RU
Kellen Burke - MU Sports Media
Matthew "Matty Ice" MacLellan (34) drops a powerful dunk in Garth Pleasant Arena.
94
Winner Madonna MADONNA 19-4, 15-2
83
Rochester ROCHESTE 15-8, 10-7
Winner
Madonna MADONNA
19-4, 15-2
94
Final
83
Rochester ROCHESTE
15-8, 10-7
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Madonna MADONNA 51 43 94
Rochester ROCHESTE 45 38 83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Kellen Burke

Crusaders cruise past Warriors on the road

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - Coming off of a three-game win streak, the #RV Madonna Crusaders (18-4, 14-2) traveled up the road to face the Rochester University Warriors (15-7, 10-6) in a matchup with heavy implications for seeding in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament coming up at the end of this month. While the Warriors would stay on the heels of the Crusaders in the first half, a big run after the break would help the Crusaders secure the victory with a 94-83 win as they are now tied with No. 7 Lourdes University for first place in the WHAC.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Junior Brendan Young would score the opening basket of the game less than a minute after tip-off with a step-back jumper from the elbow. He would follow it up by draining his first three-pointer of the game for the Crusaders' next points. Following Young's lead, Isaac Anderson would get on the board with a jump-shot and three-pointer of his own, as the Crusaders jumped to an early 10-4 lead. However, the Warriors would start to heat up, tying up the game at 12-12 after seven minutes of play. 

A layup from Young followed by five quick points by Jordan Graham quickly helped the Crusaders regain the lead and get some breathing room. With just under eight minutes to play in the first half, junior Ethan Emerzian would step back behind the arc and drain a three to give the Crusaders their first double-digit lead of the night at 33-22. Now with some momentum, center Matthew MacLellan would back down the Warriors' big in the paint and lay down a powerful dunk that got all of the Crusader faithful on their feet. While the Warriors would cut the lead to single-digits before halftime, Crusaders still had all of the energy as they led 51-45 at the break.

MacLellan would show off his range to start the second half, sinking a deep-three to keep the Crusaders rolling after the break. On the next possession, Young would put his body on the line with an and-one layup to stretch the Crusaders' lead back to double-digits. From there, the Crusaders would really get rolling. A string of fast break points followed as Anderson led the way. Then it was graduate-student guard Devin Dunn who dropped a dagger with a step-back three to give the Crusaders the largest lead of the night, up by nineteen-points with fifteen-minutes still to go.

For a moment it seemed there might be a glimmer of hope for the Warriors as they began to get hot and cut into the Crusaders' lead around the ten-minute mark in the second half. However, the Crusaders' consistency and relentlessness seemed to get to the Warriors, as they began to fall apart and fold in the final minutes of the game. The Crusaders would confidently secure their fourth-straight victory as they closed out the Warriors 94-83.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
  • Anderson and MacLellan posted nearly identical stat lines, each with 21 points and six rebounds. 
  • Young recorded another double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
  • Dunn and Emerzian each scored 10 points and went 2-of-5 from three.
UP NEXT: 

The Crusaders will return home to face the No. 7 Lourdes University Grey Wolves (19-2, 15-2) where the winner will move up to No. 1 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The Crusaders will also get a chance to redeem themselves from their overtime loss to the Grey Wolves earlier this season. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm at ACCU Arena on Saturday, February 10th.
 
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