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Posted by Patrick Moore - Women's Basketball - Sat, Feb 20, 2010
Shantelle Herring
Shantelle Herring
Site: Livonia, Mich. (Activities Center)
Score: Madonna University 60, Concordia 57
Records: MU 12-14 (8-6 WHAC); CU 18-12 (8-6 WHAC)
Next MU event: Thursday, February 25 vs. Siena Heights (Activities Center), 7:30pm

BOX SCORE

LIVONIA, Mich. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - -After trailing most of the first half, the Madonna University women's basketball team rallied to down visiting Concordia University 60-57 on Saturday (Feb. 20) inside the Activities Center.

The win secures a home game for the Crusaders in the upcoming league tournament as the Crusaders appear to have locked up the third seed in the playoffs.

Prior to the game the Crusaders honored their lone senior Kim Olech (Canton, Mich.) for her dedication to the program.

Freshman Shantelle Herring (Macomb, Mich.) led Madonna with 10 points while junior Tabatha Wydryck (Wyandotte, Mich.) scored eight points and grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds. Elyse Schlump led all players with 15 points for Concordia.

After sophomore Heather Goodwin (Temperance, Mich.) tied the game at 10-all for Madonna with 12:51 left, Concordia took the lead and pushed its lead out to as much as seven points at 23-16 with 7:26 left.

The Crusaders were able to trim the deficit down to just a point on a pair of free throws from freshman Kaylee McGrath (Livonia, Mich.) with 2:35 left but a jumper from Schlump with 31 seconds left sent the two sides into halftime with the Cardinals on top 28-25.

Coming out of the break McGrath got MU back to with in one on a lay up and Olech gave the home team the lead back on a jumper of her own to make it 29-28 early on.

The two teams traded baskets over the next four plus minutes until Kortni Elsworth forced the game's fifth tie, this one at 35-all and 15:28 showing on the clock.

The Crusaders put together a 14-4 run over the next six minutes to go up by 10 at 49-39. A pair of scores from McGrath to go along with threes from junior Katie Mount (Waterford, Mich.) and freshman Heather Pratt (Flushing, Mich.) highlighted the Crusaders biggest run of the game.

MU maintained its lead but CU was able to climb back to with in one with 1:24 left after a pair of free throws made it 56-55. Olech sank two free throws to put the home side back up three with 1:11 to go and Pratt knocked down a charity toss of her own to push the lead back to four at 59-55.

Kelly Cieslak knocked down two more free throws to pull the Cards back to with in two at 59-57 but Pratt made it a three point game with a free throw for a 60-57 MU lead. Concordia's last second three went long, giving Madonna the 60-57 win and sealing up a home game in the upcoming conference tournament.

Based on the tie-breaker system it appears that Madonna will earn the third seed in the 2010 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship and will host sixth-seeded Siena Heights on Thursday (Feb. 25) at 7:30pm inside the Activities Center. The official bracket will be released on Sunday following the Aquinas and Indiana Tech game.

POST GAME QUOTES
Head Coach Carl Graves
"I believe that Concordia is playing as well as anyone in our conference right now so this is a very big win for our program. The atmosphere inside the Activities Center was electric today for a great Saturday afternoon of basketball. Kim Olech was huge for us as always. She has played at 50 percent this whole season but she is still a "Hulk" out there. I'm glad the team wanted to win this for her. We can now take a day off and get ready for the playoffs. This is likely to become a rivalry for the ages as we only have one senior and Concordia has only two. This will likely elevate both programs for the years to come."
Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834