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Posted by Patrick Moore - Men's Basketball - Sat, Dec 12, 2009
Bryant Slaughter
Bryant Slaughter
Site: Livonia, Mich. (Activities Center)
Score: Rochester College 65, Madonna University 61
Records: MU 2-9; RC 8-7
Next MU event: Wednesday, Dec. 16 at Defiance College (Defiance, Ohio)

BOX SCORE

LIVONIA, Mich. (MadonnCrusaders.com) - - In a game that saw nine ties, it seemed which ever team had the ball last would win, the Madonna University men's basketball team was on the wrong end of that equation, dropping the finale of the 2009 State Farm Classic 65-61 to Rochester College on Saturday (Dec. 12) inside the Activities Center.

Junior Bryant Slaughter (Westland, Mich.) led all players with 21 points en route to all-tournament honors. Fellow junior Geoff Gaylor (Roscommon, Mich.) added 18 points and seven rebounds. The tournament's outstanding player Ricky Doran and Michael Graham led Rochester with 14 markers each.

Rochester's Stephan Henning, Notre Dame's Eric Dummermuth and Michigan-Dearborn's Nicholas Simpson joined Doran and Slaughter on the all-tournament squad.

The opening 20 minutes was tight with neither side taking a lead of more than three until Rochester went up by four on a Marques Ewell free throw to go in front 26-22 with 5:36 left. That lead went down to just one on the next trip for MU when Gaylor nailed a three with the shot clock running down to make it 26-25.

The two sides traded buckets over the next four minutes until Slaughter knocked down one of his five triples on the day with 1:17 left to go up 33-31 heading into the locker room.

MU gave the lead back to Rochester early in the second half but clawed back to go up by three for the second time on a pair of Gaylor free throws with 13:51 left. After trading the lead back and forth, freshman Kevin Henry (Toledo, Ohio) scored to tie the game at 47-all. Sophomore Mitch Cieslak (Brighton, Mich.) put the Crusaders back up three with 8:49 to go on a triple but the Warriors answered back with a 13-4 run to go up by six (60-54) with 2:38 left. 

Madonna trimmed the deficit to three but could not get closer and dropped its second game of the season to Rochester, this time 65-61.

The Crusaders return to the court Wednesday night (Dec. 12), making the trip to Defiance College for an 8pm tip-off.

Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834)