MBB Huddle
Ryan Mitchell, MU Sports Information
65
Madonna MADONNA 27-7
87
Winner College of Idaho COLLEGE 31-3
Madonna MADONNA
27-7
65
Final
87
College of Idaho COLLEGE
31-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Madonna MADONNA 38 27 65
College of Idaho COLLEGE 40 47 87

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Kellen Burke

Crusaders' Cinderella season comes to a close

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After defeating Shawnee State University on their home court of ACCU Arena in the NAIA National Tournament Round of 32, the No. 5 seeded Madonna Crusaders headed to Kansas City for the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. However, if they hoped to advance to the Elite 8, they would have to battle past the defending national champions, the No. 1 seed College of Idaho Coyotes. While the Crusaders would hang with the No. 3 team in the country in the first half, the Coyotes would prove their formidability in the second half as they ran away with an 87-65 victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Coyotes started with an early lead as they jumped ahead 10-3. The Crusaders would begin to gain momentum though with a series of three-pointers. Junior forward Sho-Ron Graham got things started, and then junior guard Ethan Emerzian followed his lead with a deep three of his own. Quickly, the Crusaders cut into the Coyotes lead, now only down 15-12.

On the next possession, Emerzian would knock down another three-pointer. Then, he would pull up for a third time in the opening ten minutes, this time from 40 feet away, and drain it with nothing but net. Emerzian's third three gave the Crusaders their first lead of the night, now up 21-19.

Junior forward Brendan Young would extend the lead to four points with a contested layup, but then the Coyotes would answer with an 11-0 run going into the final few minutes of the first half. Not letting the Coyotes' run get to them, the Crusaders ended the run as junior guard Isaac Anderson hit a contested floater. The Crusaders would go on a run of their own to follow, as Anderson hit another jumpshot on the next possession. Following his lead, Young would then hit a deep three-pointer and jumpshot on back-to-back possessions to bring it back to a one-point game with three minutes left in the half. 

Anderson would tie the game up at 38-38 with a signature jumpshot as the play clock ticked under a minute. However, the Coyotes would drain two free throws in the final seconds to enter halftime with the lead, up 40-38.

The Crusaders would continue to hang with the Coyotes in the opening minutes of the second half, but as the game went on the Coyotes began to slowly pull away in the closing twenty-minutes.

With Young and Anderson both finding themselves in foul trouble midway through the second half, the Crusaders were backed into a corner. The Coyotes would dominate the final ten minutes of the game and put an end to the Crusaders' Cinderella story of a season. Taking a 87-65 loss, the Crusaders would head back to Michigan, facing elimination.

Despite the heartbreaking end to the Crusaders' season, they still made history on multiple fronts. Their 23 regular season and 19 conference wins are both the best in program history. They became regular-season conference champions for the first time ever. They hosted the NAIA National Tournament Opening Rounds for the first time. They won the second and third NAIA National Tournament games in school history, including making it to the Round of 16 for the first time in program history.

With only four seniors graduating, the Crusaders will return many key players of their historic team including all three of their all-conference nods; Young, Anderson, and Matthew MacLellan. Now with more post-season experience than ever, the Crusaders will hope to recreate the same magic next winter.

INSIDE NUMBERS:
  • Anderson led the team in scoring with 17 points, five steals, four rebounds, and four assists.
  • Young scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds.
  • MacLellan scored double-digits with 13.
  • Emerzian scored nine points on 50-percent shooting from three.
UP NEXT: 

With the Crusaders' historic season finally coming to a close, they will head into the off-season and prepare for the 2024-25 season. With their top-three leading scorers, Young, Anderson, and MacLellan all poised to return for the 2024-25 season, they will hope to recreate the magic from this year and return to Kansas City.

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