Box Score
Site: Livonia, Mich. (Activities Center)
Score: Madonna 73, No. 15 Indiana Tech 65
Records: MU (12-10, 6-4 WHAC), IT (15-5, 5-5 WHAC)
Next MU event: Wednesday, Jan. 25 – at Cornerstone (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 7:30 p.m.
LIVONIA, Mich. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - - The Madonna University men's basketball team opened the second half of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference season the same way it began the first half - with an upset of nationally ranked Indiana Tech - as MU upended No. 15 Tech, 73-65, on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 21) at the Activities Center. The win gives MU a sweep in the season series with Tech for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
Sophomore guard Travis Schuba (Rapid City, Mich. / Kalkaska) led Madonna (12-10; 6-4 WHAC) with 22 points and a team-high six rebounds while classmate and fellow guard Bobby Naubert (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward Eoghann Stephens (Liss, England / Albion) tallied a career-high 17 points and four blocks for the Crusaders.
The Madonna defense limited the Warriors to 35 percent (23-of-65) shooting from the floor and 32 percent (9-of-28) from beyond the arc. Simultaneously, the Crusaders shot 51 percent (25-of-49), including 57 percent (17-of-30) on two-point field goals. Overall, eight different Crusaders contributed to Madonna's second highest scoring total in a conference victory this season.
Tech took an early lead until MU tied the game at 8-8 on a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Derek Lennen (Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft) with 13:24 left in the first half. That triple was part of a 13-3 Madonna run that gave the home side an 18-11 lead with 9:47 to play.
The lead held until the Warriors went on a 19-7 run over the next 6:01 of action to claim a 28-25 lead, their first since an 8-5 cushion six minutes into the game.
Back-to-back layups by senior Tyler Coker (Whitmore Lake, Mich. / Whitmore Lake) and a pair from Stephens pulled MU back on top by three, 31-28 with 1:38 left in the half.
Jeff Hoskins evened the contest at 28-all with an traditional three-point play, but Schuba – who is currently second in the nation in made 3-pointers – hit one of his six triples on the day to break the tie before a last second shot by Naubert rolled around the rim and fell in as time expired to send the two teams into halftime with Madonna on top 36-31.
Another Schuba 3-pointer opened the second half and Naubert followed with a layup to push the Crusaders' lead into double digits for the first time all day, 41-31, just 44 seconds into the final half of play.
The Warriors began to chip away at the lead over the next eight minutes, closing the gap to within four points, but a layup from Naubert followed by one from Stephens and a thunderous dunk from redshirt sophomore Fred Williams (Oak Park, Mich. / Berkley) re-established an 11-point lead for MU, 54-43, with 10:41 to go.
The two sides traded baskets over the next eight minutes but Tech could not get any closer than four until Brice Miles hit a jumper to bring the Warriors within three, 65-62, with 2:34 left.
Sophomore Matt Jenkins (Plymouth, Mich. / Fr. Gabriel Richard Catholic) split a pair of free throws to once again make it a two-possession ball game, 66-62, with 2:05 to go. The Crusaders then went on to sink seven of their eight free throws down the stretch, sealing the win for MU.
Hoskins led Tech (15-5; 5-5 WHAC) with 15 points to go along with 14 markers from Jordan Hickman.
MU heads back on the road for its next two games, starting Wednesday night (Jan. 25) in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at Cornerstone.
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Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834