Moore vs. LU
Zoe Zdunczyk - MU Sports Media
66
Winner Cleary (Mich.) CLEARY ( 10-8, 8-4
54
Madonna MADONNA 6-12, 3-9
Winner
Cleary (Mich.) CLEARY (
10-8, 8-4
66
Final
54
Madonna MADONNA
6-12, 3-9
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Cleary (Mich.) CLEARY ( 14 17 17 18 66
Madonna MADONNA 11 16 8 19 54

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Slow Start, Rebounding Deficit Hurt Madonna in 66-54 Home Loss to Cleary

LIVONIA, Mich.-- Cleary (Mich.) used a dominant effort on the glass and a key second-half surge to hand Madonna a 66-54 defeat on Saturday afternoon in Livonia, Mich. The Crusaders stayed within striking distance for much of the first half, but Cleary controlled the boards and pieced together decisive runs in the third and early fourth quarters to pull away.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Madonna trailed just 31-27 at halftime after matching Cleary nearly point-for-point in the second quarter, but the turning point came out of the break. Cleary opened the third quarter with a 14-2 burst, stretching a four-point edge into a 45-29 lead, capped by free throws from Izzy Dugal with 3:06 left in the frame. The Crusaders were limited to eight points in the third quarter, falling behind 48-35 heading into the fourth.

The momentum stayed with the visitors early in the final period. Cleary's Jess Andrew buried a 3-pointer with 8:09 to play to push the margin to 55-35, the largest deficit of the afternoon. From there, Madonna mounted a late push, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter, but the Crusaders could not fully erase the damage from the third as Cleary closed out the 12-point win.

Madonna's offense showed balance at times but struggled to convert consistently, finishing 20-for-62 (32.3%) from the field and 4-of-17 (23.5%) from 3-point range. The Crusaders were also hurt on the boards, getting outrebounded 40-27, including a 14-9 gap in offensive rebounds that helped Cleary extend possessions and control the tempo. Both teams finished with 21 turnovers, but Cleary turned its extra chances into more efficient scoring opportunities.

Forward Faith Jungwirth led Madonna with 13 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes, adding a blocked shot while providing interior scoring and work on the glass. Guard Lizzy Liedel added 11 points, knocking down three 3-pointers on 3-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc while contributing five rebounds and two assists in a team-high 34 minutes. The Crusaders also generated 13 steals defensively, showing activity in the passing lanes despite the final result.

Cleary was paced by a standout performance from Dugal, who scored a game-high 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, including five on the offensive end. Samantha Hoelscher added 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Melanin Holman filled the box score with seven points, seven rebounds and six steals to help set the defensive tone. As a team, Cleary shot 40.4% from the floor and went 16-of-25 at the free-throw line.

Despite the loss, Madonna showed stretches of solid play, particularly in the second quarter and during the late fourth-quarter surge. The Crusaders will look to build on those stretches by tightening up rebounding and sustaining offensive efficiency across all four quarters as they move deeper into the conference slate. Along with a big congratulations to Senior forward Terre'ya Moore as she surpassed 1,000 career points in her college career.

UP NEXT:
The Crusaders will be back in action on Wednesday, January 21st as the travel to face Lourdes University. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM. 
Print Friendly Version