Site: Davenport, Iowa (Lee Lohman Arena)
Score: No. 16 St. Ambrose University 76, Madonna University 65
Records: MU 3-4; SAU 9-1
Next MU event: Saturday, Dec. 12 vs. St. Mary of the Woods (Davenport, Iowa)

BOX SCORE 

DAVENPORT, Iowa (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - - A quartet of players in double-figures could not stave off a late rally from No. 16 St. Ambrose University as the Madonna University women's basketball team fell 76-65 inside of Lee Lohman Arena on Friday night (Dec. 11) on the opening night of the SAU Classic.

Junior Tabatha Wydryck (Wyandotte, Mich.) led MU with 16 points in addition to eight rebounds and a team-best four assists. Freshman Heather Pratt (Flushing, Mich.) added a career-high 13 points while senior Kim Olech (Canton, Mich.) and sophomore Erin Bentley (Monroe, Mich.) dropped in 12 markers each. Jenny Clark led all players with 22 points for SAU.

The Queen Bees opened the game taking a 13-5 lead over the first five minutes and eventually increased the lead to nine (20-11) before an 8-0 Crusader run - sparked by triples from Pratt and junior Katie Mount (Waterford, Mich.) to go along with a three-point play from Bentley - trimmed the deficit to just one at 20-19 with 9:39 left.

After SAU went back up by three, Pratt canned another of her three triples on the night to square the game at 22-all. Another three from Bentley followed by a Wydryck triple pushed the MU lead to four at 28-24 with 5:37 to go. After SAU got back to with in one at 28-27, Olech hit a jumper in the lane to put MU back up three (30-27) but an 8-0 run by SAU to close the half sent the two sides to the locker room with the home standing Queen Bees up 35-30.

Coming out of the break the two sides traded buckets until a 7-0 SAU run pushed the lead to eight at 44-36. MU reeled off a 7-3 run of its own to pull back to with in one but SAU had an answer for the run and went back up by five to hold a 47-42 lead with 11:25 to go.

Mount hit a lay up and after Bentley stole the ball and fed an open Wydryck for a lay up, the Crusaders were down just one (47-46). The Queen Bees hit a three of their own but a Mount three followed by a steal and score from Wydryck put the Crusaders on top 51-50 with just over nine minutes showing on the clock.

Pratt's third triple of the night put MU up four at 54-50 with 8:42 left but SAU reeled of a 19-6 run over the next four minutes to take the lead back and seal up the 76-65 win.

The Crusaders wrap up play at the SAU Classic on Saturday (Dec. 12) with a 4pm match against St. Mary of the Woods.

Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834