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Posted by Patrick Moore - Women's Basketball - Thu, Feb 25, 2010
Shantelle Herring
Shantelle Herring
Site: Livonia, Mich. (Activities Center)
Score: Madonna University 70, Siena Heights 57 - WHAC Quarterfinals
Records: MU 13-14; SHU 17-14
Next MU event: Saturday, February 27 at Aquinas (Ford Field House), 12:30pm

BOX SCORE

LIVONIA, Mich. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - -The Madonna University women's basketball team opened the 2010 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament with a resounding 70-54 win over Siena Heights University on Thursday night (Feb. 25) inside a raucous Activities Center.

Madonna - the tournament's No. 3 seed - got a game-high 19 points from freshman Shantelle Herring (Macomb, Mich.) to go along with a double-double from senior Kim Olech (Canton, Mich.) of 14 points and 13 rebounds to go along with six blocks. With the six blocks, Olech set the school record for rejections, posting the 91st of her career. Nikki Hughes and Shalaha Hubbard led SHU - the tournament's No. 6 seed - with 12 points each.

Madonna (13-14) fell behind early, going down 7-3 with fewer than three minutes gone but an 18-8 Crusader run over the next 12 minutes put MU on top by 13 at 25-12. Herring started the run with a triple while fellow rookie Heather Pratt (Flushing, Mich.) knocked down a pair of threes to go along with one from junior Tabatha Wydryck (Wyandotte, Mich.) to put the home side into a double digit lead.

The lead stayed in double digits, growing to as many as 18 as the Crusaders held the Saints to just eight points over the final 9:15 of the half to take a 38-20 lead into intermission.

Siena Heights opened the second half on a 10-4 run to get back to with in 12 at 42-30 but a three from freshman Kaylee McGrath (Livonia, Mich.) stopped the SHU run and made it 45-30. SHU got to with in 13 points in the waning moments of the game but could not get any closer as MU prevailed 70-54 to advance to the WHAC semi-finals.

The Crusaders now travel to Grand Rapids and take on the tournament's No. 2 seed, the Saints of Aquinas. Game time on Saturday (Feb. 27) is set for 12:30pm inside Ford Field House on the campus of Grand Rapids Community College.

Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834