Site: Grand Rapids, Mich. (DU Student Center)
Score: No. 2 Davenport University 79, Madonna University 67
Records: MU 14-15; DU 30-2
Next MU event: 2010-11 Season

BOX SCORE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - - Making its third appearance in the title game in the last four seasons, the Madonna University women's basketball team ran the game down to the wire but in the end the No. 2-ranked Panthers of Davenport proved to be too much as DU prevailed 79-67 on Tuesday night (March 2) inside the DU Student Center to capture the 2010 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Championship.

Junior Tabatha Wydryck (Wyandotte, Mich.) and sophomore Erin Bentley (Monroe, Mich.) led MU with 13 points each while senior Kim Olech (Canton, Mich.) added 12 markers in her final Madonna game to go along with eight rebounds. Freshman Shantelle Herring (Macomb, Mich.) joined the trio in double figures with 11 pointes of her own. Carrie Grubis led all players with 21 points for the Panthers.

MU opened the scoring, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first two minutes but DU responded with six straight points to take its first lead of the night at 6-5. Wydryck put the Crusaders up briefly with a jumper in the lane but the Panthers then went on a 16-0 run to claim their largest lead of the half at 15 points, 25-10.

The Crusaders whittled the lead back down into single digits and six straight points from Wydryck capped by a three with 1:36 left made it a one point game at 35-34. Lauren Malinowski put DU back up by three Bentley hit a three as time expired to send the two sides into the intermission tied at 37-all after the 20-6 Madonna run to end the half.

DU opened the second half on a 7-0 run over the first two minutes of they half but MU rallied with a 10-2 run to take a 47-46 lead with 14:09 to go on a three from Herring. The two sides traded baskets over the next five minutes until a pair of free throws from Olech gave MU the lead back again, this time at 56-55.

The Panthers took the lead back at 59-58 on a scored from Karlee Despres with 6:34 remaining but the Crusaders fought back, keeping the game tight and three free throws from junior Katie Mount (Waterford, Mich.) trimmed what was a six point lead for DU down to just a three point cushion with 2:50 left.

The Panthers connected on back-to-back threes on their next two possessions to push the lead up to nine with 1:15 left and the lead eventually grew to as many as 13 late as DU converted its free throw chances for the 79-67 win and the WHAC"s automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship.

The Crusaders end their season with an appearance in the WHAC title game for the third time in the last four seasons and lose just one senior - Olech - off of a club that finished third in the WHAC regular season race.

Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834