Yellow Jackets defeated at Madonna to finish road schedule

LIVONIA, Mich. - In the final road game of the regular season, a strong finish to the first half propelled the Madonna Crusaders to a 93-73 win over the Defiance Yellow Jackets at Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena on Wednesday.

The Yellow Jackets (11-13, 6-13 WHAC) suffered their third straight loss despite 9 3-pointers and 44 percent shooting for the night. The Crusaders (19-6, 16-3 WHAC), who are receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top 25, hold on to the top spot in the WHAC by 2 games with 3 games remaining.

The Yellow Jackets traded jabs with the Crusaders through the first half, which saw the game remain close through the first 16 minutes of the game. Defiance opened with a 9-2 lead and held the upper hand until Madonna burst in front after a 9-0 run to create an 8-point lead at the 11:32 mark of the half. Two Evan Angstmann buckets and a Thomas Hallett 3-pointer brought Defiance within one followed by Donovan Stone's trey that tied the game at 27-27 with 6:36 before the half. From that point, the Crusaders outscored DC 25-10 into the halftime break, which included a 13-2 run over the last 4 minutes.

After the halftime break, the Crusaders' lead swelled to as many as 27 points with 14:10 to go at 69-42. Defiance battled back to within 11 points on a 17-4 run of their own during a 5-minute stretch, but that was as close as their hosts would allow them.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Defiance's 44 percent shooting was its best since the start of February.
• While the Jackets narrowly lost the turnover margin 17-16, the Crusaders dominated the glass 41-18 overall with 16 offensive boards that led to 18 second chance points.
• Evan Angstmann led Defiance with his seventh game of 20 points or more, finishing with a game-high 24 points. He sank 4 3-pointers and led DC with 7 rebounds.
• Christian Burton posted a season-high 5 steals to go with 8 assists and 16 points.
• Baylen Blockberger logged his second straight game with 11 points, which is his fourth contest in double figures this season.
• Donovan Stone was the fourth Jacket in double digits with 13 points with the help of 3 3s.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets return home for the first of three straight games at the Karl H. Weaner Center to complete the regular season. On Saturday, Defiance hosts the Michigan-Dearborn Wolverines for a 3 p.m. tipoff.

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