LIVONIA, Mich. — Madonna University used a blistering shooting night and a dominant interior presence to take control early and never let go, rolling to a 106-82 victory over Michigan-Dearborn on Wednesday night in Livonia.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Crusaders led by double digits for most of the game, seizing command with efficient offense in both halves and putting the game out of reach with a series of second-half runs. Madonna shot 57.8% from the field (37-for-64) and 47.1% from 3-point range (8-for-17) while turning defense into offense, finishing with 10 blocks and 11 steals.

Joey Liedel led the way with 24 points on 8-for-10 shooting, knocking down all five of his 3-point attempts in 25 minutes. His perimeter shooting stretched Michigan-Dearborn's defense and keyed several key spurts, including a 3-pointer late in the first half that pushed the Crusaders' lead to 45-33. DeAntwan Randall anchored the interior with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in just 18 minutes, scoring the game's opening basket on a layup and punctuating the night with a dunk that made it 96-68 in the closing minutes.
Madonna established control early. After Randall's layup opened the scoring, a 3-pointer from Makyle Doss gave the Crusaders a 14-7 advantage at the 15:14 mark of the first half. Madonna continued to attack inside and outside, building the margin to 52-41 by halftime despite a jumper from Michigan-Dearborn's Luc Laketa at the horn that briefly trimmed the deficit.
Any hopes of a Wolverines comeback faded quickly after the break. Randall again scored early in the half to push the lead, and another 3-pointer from Doss made it 64-52 with 14:50 remaining. From there, Madonna's depth and balance took over. The Crusaders' bench contributed 29 points, helping sustain the pace and pressure on both ends while the lead grew to nearly 30.
Ahmoni Weston added another standout performance for Madonna, finishing with 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and four steals in 29 minutes. The Crusaders also controlled the glass with a 47-28 rebounding advantage, including 37 defensive boards that limited Michigan-Dearborn to one shot on many trips.

Michigan-Dearborn stayed afloat from beyond the arc, hitting 13 3-pointers and getting 17 points from Abed Abuzahrah (4-for-8 from deep) and 15 from Jackson Reynolds. But the Wolverines shot just 35.8% overall (29-for-81) and could not overcome Madonna's efficiency and size inside. A late layup by Jermaine Davis in the final 30 seconds capped the scoring at 106-82 and underscored a complete performance for the Crusaders on both ends of the floor.

UP NEXT:
The Crusaders will be back in action at home on Saturday, January 17th to take on Cleary University. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM.