Cedric Sims led Madonna with 19 points in a 70-67 win at Cornerstone on Wednesday night.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Using the momentum from a strong first half, the Madonna University men's basketball team built an early lead and held on down the stretch for their third straight conference victory with a 70-67 road win at Cornerstone, Wednesday (Jan. 15) in Mol Arena.

With each team searching for a leg up in WHAC play, MU (11-8 overall; 3-1 WHAC) shot 42.4 percent in the first half to build a 36-28 lead after the first half. Cornerstone’s Matt Kingshot kept the Golden Eagles (8-12 overall; 2-2 WHAC) in the game as best he could after scoring a game-high 22 points, but MU’s overall strong play inside and outside and clutch free throws down the stretch helped the Crusaders remain in a three-way tie for the conference lead.

The Crusaders were led by a trio of double figure scorers. Junior Cedric Sims (Canton, MI/Schoolcraft C.C.) highlighted the group as he posted a team high 19 points and came within a rebound of a double-double, snatching nine boards in the game. Senior Jon Battle (Cleveland, OH/ /Indiana Tech) stayed consistent, matching his season average of 17 points and posted his third double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Battle also exercised his demons at the charity strip with a perfect seven-for-seven night. Senior forward D.J. Bridges (Canton, MI/Canton HS) added 11 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

After going back and forth for the first five minutes, Madonna gained an early advantage in the first half thanks in part to senior Charlie Henry (Canton, MI/Agape Christian Academy), who drained his second three-pointer in a two-minute stretch, one of his three in the game to give MU a 14-8 advantage. A Battle jumper with 14:43 to play in the first half gave MU their first double-digit lead of the night, 18-8, forcing Cornerstone to a timeout.  The two teams traded buckets for the rest of the opening stanza before a Sims triple pushed the Madonna lead back to 10 with just over two minutes before intermission.

With the start of the second half, Michigan continued its strong momentum as Bridges scored the first four Crusader points of the second half, keeping the lead at 10 with 17:14 to go. As things settled into a rhythm, the Golden Eagles’ Kingshott and Caleb Simons would not give up as they combined for 29 of Cornerstone’s 39 second half points as they chipped away at the MU lead. With Madonna missing its opportunities from the field during the Cornerstone late surge, the Golden Eagles tied the game at 65 with just over three minutes remaining. Cornerstone built a two point lead before Battle connected on a jumper to tie the game at 67 with 1:13 to play.  Battle and Sims were clutch for the Crusaders, as the duo combined to go 3-for-3 from the free throw line down the stretch to help seal the game as the Golden Eagles were forced to foul to stop the clock.

The Crusaders return home to continue WHAC play, Saturday (Jan. 19) to take on Siena Heights at the Activities Center. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. EST tip and will be aired on the Crusaders Internet Radio Network.

Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 432-5610