LIVONIA, Mich. – Head Coach Noel Emenhiser picks up his 300th career win as the Crusaders used a dominant first half and efficient shooting across the board to roll past Aquinas (Mich.) 90-71 in conference play Saturday afternoon. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Crusaders seized control early and never relinquished it, outscoring the Saints 49-30 in the first half and turning the game into a one-sided affair by the midway point. Madonna shot 50.9% from the field (29-for-57), cashed in at the free-throw line (25-for-28) and finished with a 36-23 rebounding advantage to secure the home victory.

Joey Liedel set the tone from the opening possession, knocking down a 3-pointer just seconds into the game to give Madonna a 3-0 lead at 19:34 of the first half. From there, the Crusaders strung together multiple scoring bursts, steadily building the margin into double digits and keeping Aquinas in chase mode. By halftime, Madonna's balance and pace had produced a 19-point cushion at 49-30.

The Crusaders continued to press the advantage after the break. DeAntwan Randall scored on a layup just 44 seconds into the second half, and Ahmoni Weston followed with a 3-pointer at 17:29 to push the lead to 54-32. Later, a jumper by Joey Miller made it 71-38 with just over 11 minutes remaining, one of several stretches where Madonna held a lead of 30 points or more. Even as Aquinas found more offense in the closing minutes, the Saints never seriously threatened the margin.

Liedel led Madonna with 22 points and nine assists, adding five rebounds while shooting 8-for-13 from the floor, including four made 3-pointers and a 2-for-2 mark at the line. Weston provided another steady scoring option with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting, going 4-for-4 from the stripe and connecting twice from beyond the arc. The Crusaders' ball movement produced 23 assists on 29 made field goals and helped offset 19 turnovers with 10 steals on the defensive end.

Aquinas generated most of its scoring at the free-throw line, converting 27 of 30 attempts (90.0%) to stay afloat offensively. Jordan Bledsoe paced the Saints with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting and a 4-for-4 performance at the line, while Caden Pokorzynski added 11 points, including a 7-for-8 effort on free throws and a blocked shot. Devon Boyd chipped in 10 points and a 3-pointer as Aquinas tried to rally, but the visitors were limited to 36.4% shooting from the field (20-for-55) and 20.0% from 3-point range (4-for-20).

Late in the game, Braden Buza's dunk stretched Madonna's lead to 89-69 with just over a minute remaining before Aquinas' Caedmon Huff scored in the final seconds to close out the scoring. The Crusaders' combination of efficient offense, rebounding control and depth of contributors carried the day, giving Madonna a convincing 90-71 conference win at home.

UP NEXT:
The Crusaders will head to Mol Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. to take on Cornerstone University on Wednesday, January 28th. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM.