Madonna University Athletics

LIVONIA, Mich. - Madonna University (4-1) answered a second-half lead change with an 18-3 surge to defeat Spring Arbor (MI) (3-4) 92-83 on Friday, Nov. 13, in Livonia. Six Crusaders scored in double figures.

Spring Arbor took its largest lead at 23-16 on Kolt Nelson's jumper with 11:03 left in the first half. Gor Ruey answered with a 3-pointer, and Koby Christopher later connected from beyond the arc to tie it at 27. DeAntwan Randall's dunk off a Joey Liedel assist put Madonna ahead 31-30 with 6:10 remaining and started a 16-0 run. Makyle Doss capped that stretch with an offensive rebound and layup for a 45-30 advantage. Christopher's 3-pointer pushed the margin to 16 before Brandon Trilli's 3-pointer cut it to 48-35 at halftime.

Christopher restored a 13-point lead with a 3-pointer at 17:38 of the second half, but Spring Arbor scored the next 14 points. Trilli's 3-pointer trimmed the deficit to 53-46, and Connor Bush's layup brought the visitors within one with 15:37 left. Liedel blocked David Cundiff's layup attempt and collected the rebound on the next possession, but Cundiff scored a fast-break layup at 14:35 to put Spring Arbor ahead 54-53.

Ruey reclaimed the lead with a layup, then hit a 3-pointer off a Jahkil Jackson assist. Jackson followed with a steal, and Mario Johnson set up Randall's layup to complete Madonna's immediate 7-0 response. The Crusaders kept building from there, extending the stretch to 18-3 when Doss scored inside for a 71-57 lead with 10:19 remaining.

Randall led Madonna with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting and five rebounds. Doss contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, while Liedel finished with 14 points, four assists and four steals. Ruey scored 13 points and blocked two shots. Christopher made 4-of-7 attempts from 3-point range for 12 points and added three steals, while Jayden Hardiman scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Johnson led the Crusaders with six assists.

Madonna shot 52.3% overall, including 60.7% in the second half, and made 10-of-22 attempts from beyond the arc. The Crusaders recorded 21 assists, held a 35-34 rebounding edge and outscored Spring Arbor 20-12 off turnovers and 31-19 off the bench. Bush paced the visitors with 22 points and seven rebounds. Trilli and Nelson scored 12 points apiece, while Cundiff supplied 10 points, nine assists and five steals. Nathan Keil scored all nine of their points after halftime.

Johnson made 2-of-2 free throws with 6:33 left to give Madonna its largest lead, 81-64. Liedel rebounded a missed 3-point attempt and then made a 3-pointer for an 84-69 advantage at 5:26, later adding a layup for a 90-74 lead. Hardiman scored Madonna's final basket off a Liedel assist with 1:42 remaining to make it 92-78. Cundiff hit a 3-pointer before Bush's fast-break dunk following Trilli's steal completed the scoring with 1:21 left. Neither team scored again.

The Crusaders take the court again November 21st in a conference opening match up against Rochester Christian at 3 pm.