Site: Livonia, Mich. (Activities Center)
Score: Aquinas College 75, Madonna University 63
Records: MU 4-20 (1-8 WHAC); AQ 15-10 (5-4 WHAC)
Next MU event: Saturday Feb. 6 vs. No. 13 Davenport (Activities Center)

BOX SCORE

LIVONIA, Mich. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - -The Madonna University men's basketball team staked itself to a five-point halftime lead but a 16-0 run by Aquinas College early in the second half was too much to overcome as the Crusaders fell 75-63 on Wednesday night (Feb. 3) inside the Activities Center.

Freshman Kevin Henry (Toledo, Ohio) led the home side with 17 points and junior Bryant Slaughter (Westland, Mich.) added 15 points in the loss. Senior Leroy Allen (Detroit, Mich.) scored nine points and tied for team-high honors with six rebounds. John Lierman led all scorers with 22 points off the bench for Aquinas in the win.

The Crusaders found themselves down 8-3 early but rallied to take a 16-12 lead on a Henry bucket with 12:04 left in the opening half. After seeing AQ trim the lead to just one, sophomore Mike Clark (New Boston, Mich.) pushed the MU cushion to back up to three (18-15) on a put back.

Lierman gave AQ a brief lead at 19-18 but a three from freshman Fred Williams (Oak Park, Mich.) gave MU a 21-19 lead with 6:39 left in the half. The Saints then went on a 6-2 run to go on top 29-23 with 3:21 showing on the clock. After a Madonna time out, the Crusaders went on a 9-0 run to close the half and take a 32-29 lead into intermission.

Allen gave continued the MU run, opening the half with a bucket and making it an 11-0 run over the last 3:21 of the first half and the first 1:03 of the second but the Allen score with 18:57 left in the game was the last Madonna score for over three minutes as Aquinas went on a 16-0 run to go up 11 points at 45-34 with 15:03 left. The biggest blows during the run came from Lierman as the reigning WHAC Player of the Week hit three of the four triples AQ made during the run and scored 11 of the 16 points himself.

MU pulled back to with in single digits on a Slaughter lay up with 12:17 left that made it 47-38 but could not get any closer the rest of the way as AQ cruised to the 75-63 win.

The Crusaders now set their sights on No. 13-ranked Davenport as the Panthers come into the Activities Center for a 3pm Saturday tip-off. That game will be carried on the Crusader Radio Network starting at 2:55pm.

Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834