Site: Livonia, Mich. (Activities Center)
Score: Madonna University 62, Concordia 59
Records: MU 7-22 (4-10 WHAC); CU 12-18 (5-9 WHAC)
Next MU event: Wednesday, February 24 at Davenport (DU Student Center), 7:30pm

BOX SCORE

LIVONIA, Mich. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - -The Madonna University men's basketball team rallied from a five-point deficit to close the regular season with a 62-59 win over Concordia University on Saturday (Feb. 20) inside the Activities Center.

Prior to the game the Crusaders honored their 2010 seniors - Leroy Allen (Detroit, Mich.), Jordan Hoke (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Simon Mulwa (Kajiado, Kenya) - for their contributions to the program.

Freshman Kevin Henry (Toledo, Ohio) led the Crusaders with 14 points while sophomore Tyler Coker (Whitmore Lake, Mich.) joined Allen with nine markers each while Allen led MU with six rebounds. Marius Williams led all scorers with 19 points for Concordia in the setback.

The game started off looking like the Crusaders would run away with it as MU held CU off the scoreboard for the first 4:27 of the game and held a 14-5 lead with 9:54 left in the half. The Crusader lead grew to as many as 15 on a Hoke bucket with 8:24 left but the Cardinals whittled the MU lead back down into single digits, closing the eight minutes of the half on a 24-10 run to trail by just a point at 30-29 heading into half time.

Coming out of the break MU went back up three on a Henry jumper but CU tied the game at 32-all on a three from Kyle Barlow just 39 seconds into the half.

The two sides traded baskets and the lead back and forth over the next nine minutes and a lay up by Allen tied the game for the second time at 46-46. After junior Ryan Waidmann (Canton, Mich.) put MU on top 48-46, CU took the lead back on a three from Evan Eaddy-Richardson and pushed its lead out to its largest margin - five points - at 57-52 with 5:10 left in the game.

A pair of buckets from Allen to go along with scores from sophomore Josh Gay (Woodburn, Ind.) and Henry put MU back on top at 60-57 with just under three minutes left in the game. 

A Rocko Holmes score brought CU back to with in one at 60-59 but a pair of free throws from Allen with 1:09 left sealed up the Crusader win at 62-59 as the Cards last ditch three went wide.

Madonna secured the No. 7-seed in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship that gets under way on Wednesday night (Feb. 24). The Crusaders travel to Davenport for a 7:30pm game against the No. 2-seeded Panthers.

POST GAME QUOTES
Head Coach Noel Emenhiser
"I am very proud of the guys' effort on the defensive end tonight. After we allowed 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, we did a much better job on the boards in the second half and really limited their second chance opportunities. Our team gritted out a very tough win against a quality Concordia team and it was a great way to send off our seniors."