Site: Cedarville, Ohio (Callan Athletic Center)
Score: No. 11 Cedarville University 81, Madonna University 61
Records: MU 4-5; CU 9-3
Next MU event: Tuesday, Dec. 22 at Calvin (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

BOX SCORE

CEDARVILLE, Ohio (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - - After getting to with in five points with just over five minutes to go, the Madonna University women's basketball team went cold from the floor in seeing host and No. 11-ranked Cedarville University close the game on an 18-3 run to take the 81-61 win inside the Callan Athletic Center on Saturday (Dec. 19).

Junior Katie Mount (Waterford, Mich.) led Madonna with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor including a 3-for-6 day from behind the arc. Freshman Kaylee McGrath (Livonia, Mich.) added 13 points, canning a trio of triples of her own. Junior Tabatha Wydryck (Wyandotte, Mich.) led MU with 10 boards to go along with seven points. Aubrey Siemon led all players with 19 markers for the Yellow Jackets.

After the two sides traded early scores to see the game tied at five, the Crusaders went on a 7-0 run to go in front 12-5 sparked by a pair of Mount three pointers to claim the seven point cushion with 14:30 left in the half.

The Yellow Jackets then went on a 7-0 run of their own to force the third tie of the game at 12-all with 13:20 to go. A Wydyrck lay-up gave MU a brief lead but CU's Siemon tied the game with a pair of free throws and Lydia Miller gave Cedarville the lead for good with a jumper to make it 16-14 with just over 12 minutes left in the half.

Cedarville extended its lead to as many as nine on two occasions, the second on a Siemon bucket that sent the two sides to the locker room with the home standing Yellow Jackets in front 34-25.

The Crusaders were able to pull to with in four (38-34) early in the second half on a McGrath three with 17:49 to go but the Yellow Jackets pushed their lead back into double digits to lead by 13 at 53-40 with 12:06 to go.

Madonna climbed back into the game and trimmed the deficit down to just five points starting with a three from freshman Heather Pratt (Flushing, Mich.) with 11:47 to go and capped by five straight points from Mount to make it a 63-58 game with 5:19 left.

The Mount bucket was the last field goal the Crusaders made in the contest as the Yellow Jackets closed the game on an 18-3 run - with all three of MU's points coming at the charity stripe - to cruise to the 81-61 win.

The Crusaders return to the court on Tuesday (Dec. 22) with a 7pm game at No. 19-ranked (NCAA Div. III) Calvin College.

NOTES
* With just seven points against Cedarville, Wydryck saw her streak of double-figure scoring efforts snapped at four.
* McGrath continued to impress, registering her sixth double-figures scoring performance in the first nine games of the season.
* MU is now 1-6 all-time against Cedarville and has dropped the last two match ups.
* The Crusaders' five losses this season have all come against ranked teams with four of the five coming on the road: Nov. 17 at No. 1-ranked (NCAA Div. III) Hope | Nov. 20 at No. 14 Indiana Wesleyan | Nov. 21 vs. No. 8 Bethel | Dec. 11 at No. 14 St. Ambrose | Dec. 19 at No. 11 Cedarville

Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834