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The Tip
The Madonna University men's basketball team wraps up a two-game road trip with a rare Saturday night (Jan. 28) road game at UM-Dearborn.

The Madonna coaches will be participating in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers weekend.

Suits and Sneakers is a national Coaches vs. Cancer event that is designed to raise awareness about the fight against cancer and the American Cancer Society by encouraging member coaches and their coaching staffs to wear sneakers with their suits at games held that weekend to show support for the Coaches vs. Cancer program. By wearing sneakers, participating coaches help raise awareness about cancer and the importance that nutrition and physical activity play in reducing one's risk of the disease. Additionally, this weekend helps promote the American Cancer Society as a place for people facing cancer to turn for free information, day-to-day help, and emotional support.

The All-Time Series
Currently the all-time series between Madonna and UM-Dearborn sits deadlocked at 10-10 after MU swept both meetings last season and won the opening matchup of this season. UMD's last win came during the 2008-09 season by a 56-52 final. Madonna is currently on a five-game winning streak against its closest geographic conference foe.

As The Crow Flies
MU and UMD are separated by just 13.3 miles and outside of the three Grand Rapids schools, are the closest schools geographically in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.

Usually A Tight One With The Wolves
The last five games against UMD – with the exception of a 76-62 win last season – have all been decided by less than 11 points. MU has won by finals of 70-62, 69-67, 74-68 and 63-52.

Last Time Out Against UMD – Dec. 7, 2011
In front of a raucous crowd, the 23rd-ranked Madonna University men's basketball team ground out a 63-52 win over the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Wednesday night (Dec. 7) to close out a two-game homestand at the Activities Center.

The win was MU's seventh straight – a program record – as MU improved to 3-0 in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play for the first time in program history. Senior forward Tyler Coker (Whitmore Lake, Mich. / Whitmore Lake) led the Crusaders with 15 points while sophomore guard Bobby Naubert (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) added 14 points and eight assists while redshirt sophomore forward Fred Williams (Oak Park, Mich. / Berkley) chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds off the bench for MU.

After seeing its lead cut to just a single point, MU went on a 7-0 run early in the first half, getting a pair of Williams' jumpers wrapped around a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Derek Lennen to go on top by eight, 15-7 with 13:13 left in the half. The Crusaders eventually pushed their lead out to 10 on a triple from Coker before claiming their largest lead of the half, 28-15, on a layup from freshman forward Donald Owens (Detroit, Mich. / Inkster) with 8:10 to go.

After a Naubert fast break lay-in put MU on top by 12 at 32-20, UMD went on an 8-1 run to cut the MU lead down to just five, 33-28, with 1:09 left in the half. Coker knocked down another jumper with 33 seconds to go that sent the two sides into halftime with MU on top by seven, 35-28.

Coming out of the break the Crusaders quickly built their lead back out to double figures, 41-31, with less than two minutes gone in the half. The Wolves answered back, cutting their deficit to a single bucket, 43-40 with 15:14 left on a Jeff Fick layup.

MU responded with a 10-0 run that featured Williams canning a triple to go along with scores from sophomore guard Matt Jenkins (Plymouth, Mich. / Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard Catholic), Coker and Naubert to reestablish a comfortable 53-40 lead with 8:52 left in the game.

The Crusaders held the Wolves at bay, not letting the lead slip below nine in claiming the 63-52 win.

Fick led UM with 15 points off the bench and was one of four Wolves in double figures.

Cornerstone Recap
The Madonna University men's basketball team made program history again on Wednesday night (Jan. 25) as senior Tyler Coker (Whitmore Lake, Mich. / Whitmore Lake) hit a layup with six seconds left to give the Crusaders an 82-80 upset road victory over reigning NAIA Division II National Champion and No. 24-ranked Cornerstone University at Mol Arena. The win gives MU its first-ever sweep of Cornerstone in the 19-year history of the program.

The Crusaders have now pulled off three upsets of nationally ranked teams, including a pair on the road (at No. 7 Indiana Tech on Nov. 30). The victory also comes on the heels of MU's 73-65 upset of No. 15 Indiana Tech on Saturday (Jan. 21) that completed a season sweep of the Warriors. Tonight's win also moves MU into a three-way tie for third in the ever tightening race for home court advantage in the upcoming WHAC Tournament.

MU (13-10, 7-4 Wolverine-Hoosier) outshot CU 51.7 percent (31-of-60) to 41.3 percent (26-of-63) and claimed a 52.9 (9-of-17) to 40.9 percent (9-of-22) edge from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles did hold a drastic edge at the free throw line, knocking down 90.5 percent (19-of-21) of their shots compared to just 68.8 percent (11-of-16) for the Crusaders.

Coker was one of three Crusaders in double figures with a career-high in both points with 19 points and rebounds with 10 – including four on the offensive end - for his first double-double of the season. Sophomore guard Bobby Naubert (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) led all players with 22 points – helped by a perfect 3-of-3 night from 3-point land - while handing out a game-best nine assists and classmate Matt Jenkins (Plymouth, Mich. / Fr. Gabriel Richard Catholic) tied his career-best with 13 points. Junior forward Eoghann Stephens (Liss, England / Albion) led all players with 11 rebounds.

Coker's heroics were set up thanks to Cornerstone (13-10, 7-4 WHAC) rallying from down 11 points with 4:23 left in the game. CU went on a 14-3 run over the next 4:06 to pull even on a jumper from Wes Hudson with 17 seconds left to tie the game at 80-all and set up Coker's opportunity.

The Crusaders opened the game on a 21-9 run over the first 6:37 to claim their largest lead of the first half. Coker accounted for 12 of MU's first 21 points with sophomore guard Travis Schuba (Rapid City, Mich. / Kalkaska) adding five of his own including a 3-pointer. The Golden Eagles trimmed the deficit down to four points on two occasions but still trailed 47-40 at intermission.

Coming out of the break CU pulled within two, 47-45 but did not get any closer until the final minute as MU got eight points including a pair of triples from Naubert and three points from Jenkins to push the lead back out to 13, 60-47, with 15:07 to play.

MU kept its lead in double digits the next nine-plus minutes until a jumper from CU's Ty Mason trimmed the lead to nine, 75-66. Mason's jumper was part of CU's 18-5 run that eventually tied the game at 80.

Justin Yoder and Hudson led CU with 17 points each while Derek Kingshot and Possehl added 15 and 12 points respectively.

Up Next
MU returns home on Wednesday night (Feb. 1) to host Siena Heights. The Crusaders downed the Saints 68-65 on a late bucket by sophomore Travis Schuba for the win in Adrian on Dec. 10.

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Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834