Site: Livonia, Mich. (Activities Center)
Score: Mercyhurst College 67, Madonna University 48
Records: MU 4-8; MC 5-3
Next MU event: Wednesday, Jan. 6 at Siena Heights (Adrian, Mich.)

BOX SCORE

LIVONIA, Mich. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - - After 11 games on the road to open the season the Madonna University women's basketball team returned to the friendly confines of the Activities Center on Wednesday afternoon (Dec. 30) but the visiting Mercyhurst College Lakers were not friendly guests, taking away a 64-48 win.

Senior Kim Olech (Canton, Mich.) and junior Tabatha Wydryck (Wyandotte, Mich.) led the Crusaders with 11 points each. Sophomore Heather Goodwin (Temperance, Mich.) added 10 points and four rebounds. Amy Achesinski led all players with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the victorious Lakers.

The Crusaders opened the game on a 13-5 run over the first six minutes of action, sparked by a Wydryck triple and an old fashioned three point play from junior Katie Mount (Waterford, Mich.) to go in front by eight. MU maintained the lead and pushed its advantage out to as much as nine points on two separate occasions, the last coming in the form of a 24-15 lead with 3:45 left.

The Lakers made a run of their own to end the opening half, closing the first 20 minutes on a 5-0 run to trail 24-20 going into halftime. Coming out of the break Mercyhurst continued the run, scoring the first four points of the second half to tie the game at 24-all with less than a minute gone off of the clock.

The two sides traded the lead back and forth over the next three plus minutes before the Crusaders got back-to-back threes from freshman Shantelle Herring (Macomb, Mich.) and Olech to go back up by six (36-30) with 15:33 left in the game.

Another Wydryck score put MU back on top by six with 14:25 to go but Mercyhurst whittled the Madonna lead down to just one with 11:49 to go and took the lead for good 47 seconds later on a Samantha Loadman jumper for a 41-40 lead.

After taking the lead, the Lakers built it out to as much as a 15 point cushion at 58-43 with 4:43 left and cruised to the 64-48 win. Mercyhurst closed the final 14:25 of the game on a 32-10 run.

The Crusaders return to action after the New Year, opening Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play on Wednesday (Jan. 6) night in a 7:30pm tip at Siena Heights in Adrian.

NOTES
* Sophomore Katie Martin made her first career start Wednesday against the Lakers.
* Kim Olech reached double-figures in points for the fourth time this season.
* After getting shutout at Wayne State, Tabatha Wydryck responded with 11 points.
* The game marked the first home game of the season for Madonna and the first ever meeting between Madonna University and Mercyhurst College on the hardwood.

Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834