LIVONIA, Mich. – Madonna used a late fourth-quarter surge and a pair of double-doubles from Faith Jungwirth and Lizzy Liedel to pull away from Defiance College (Ohio) for a 67-60 victory Wednesday evening in conference women's basketball action.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Crusaders trailed entering the fourth quarter but outscored the Yellow Jackets 17-9 over the final 10 minutes to secure the seven-point win. Holding a narrow 55-51 edge after a 3-pointer from Terre'ya Moore at the 9:09 mark, Madonna tightened up defensively, forced key turnovers and converted at the free-throw line down the stretch, including a late free throw from Adoreya Williams with 12 seconds remaining to lock in the final margin.
Jungwirth anchored Madonna's offense and interior presence, finishing with a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes. Liedel nearly authored a triple-double, posting 10 points, 10 rebounds and a game-best eight assists in 34 minutes as the Crusaders compensated for a rebounding deficit with efficient playmaking and timely scoring.
Defiance held a 50-39 advantage on the glass, led by 12 points and 15 rebounds from forward Taylor Haynes and 13 points and nine boards from San'Taizia Thomas. However, the Yellow Jackets were undone by 25 turnovers, which Madonna converted into transition opportunities and extra possessions. The Crusaders, who committed 18 turnovers, also collected 13 steals and four blocks to disrupt Defiance's half-court sets.
The matchup was tightly contested throughout. Madonna edged ahead 9-8 after the first quarter, but Defiance responded with a 19-point second quarter highlighted by 3-pointers from Kayla Houston and Lorena Caparros to take a 27-25 lead into halftime. The Yellow Jackets continued their push out of the break, using a Thomas 3-pointer to build a 39-33 cushion and a Haynes fastbreak layup to move in front 43-40, before Madonna closed the third with a 25-point frame to reclaim a 50-48 lead.
In the fourth, Madonna's defense and guard play took control. Moore's 3-pointer off a Williams assist gave the Crusaders a 55-51 lead that they would not relinquish. Williams later extended the advantage with a fastbreak layup at the 5:44 mark off a feed from Liedel, and Madonna protected the lead at the stripe, finishing 21-for-36 on free throws while limiting Defiance to 33.3% shooting from the field.

Madonna shot 34.4% (22-for-64) from the floor and 22.2% from 3-point range, but offset those numbers with 18 assists on 22 made field goals and pressure defense that produced 25 Defiance miscues. Defiance finished 20-for-60 from the field and 17-for-31 at the line. The Crusaders scored 9, 16, 25 and 17 points by quarter, while the Yellow Jackets posted 8, 19, 24 and 9, respectively, as Madonna closed out a back-and-forth contest with its strongest quarter when it mattered most.

UP NEXT:

The Crusaders are back in action on Saturday February 14th as they travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana to take on No. 24 Indiana Tech University. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM.