D.J. Bridges led MU with 18 points in a WHAC tournament win over Siena Heights on Wednesday.

LIVONIA, Mich. – Down as many as 14 points in the second half, the third-seeded Madonna men’s basketball team used a 15-4 run to tie the game and escape with a 70-67 win over sixth-seeded Siena Heights (10-21) in the opening round of the WHAC Tournament. MU (19-12) advances to the WHAC semi-finals Saturday at #2 Indiana Tech. 

The game opened with neither team finding an offensive rhythm until a Charlie Henry (Canton, Mich.) triple gave the home team a 17-14 lead with 11:31 left. That lead was short lived however, as Siena Heights took the lead for good in the half on an O.J. Jones score, making it 18-17 SHU with 9:11 to go. The Saints pushed their lead out to as many as 13 as Brian Champine made both ends of a two-shot free throw with 3:00 showing on the clock.

Madonna cut the lead to just five heading into halftime as Henry made another three and then converted two of the three free tosses he was given after being fouled at the halftime buzzer to send the Crusaders into the locker room trailing 37-32.

SHU opened the second half as the aggressor, extending its lead the biggest margin of the night – 14 – at 54-40 with 13:55 left.

It must have been a case of déjà vu for MU as the Crusaders found themselves down 14 points to this same Saints ball club inside the Activities Center on Jan. 19 and came back to win that contest as well, using a 24-5 run over the last seven minutes to win. Tonight the royal blue and gold used a 13-2 run to cut the SHU lead down to a single point at 56-55 on a Jon Battle (Cleveland, Ohio) lay up and send the home crowd into a frenzy.

The Saints pushed the lead back to three on a Curtis Stephens score at 58-55 with 7:01 left, but a D.J. Bridges (Canton, Mich.) triple off of a skip pass from Keith Hearns (Livonia, Mich.) tied the contest at 58-all with 6:01 remaining to make it a whole new ball game.

SHU briefly took the lead back on a Corey Umfress score and a Champine free throw, but a pair of makes at the line from Hearns and a split from Cedric Sims (Canton, Mich.) knotted the game at 61 with 3:27 left and set the stage for the Crusaders to complete the comeback.

Bridges knocked down a short jumper from Hearns to give the home team its first lead since 17-16 in the first half at 63-61. Battle then scored and was fouled, pushing the MU lead to four at 65-61, but Battle missed the free throw. The ensuing rebound was grabbed by Stephens for the Saints who then came down and pulled up for a jumper just inside the arc and had his shot rejected by Bridges. Sims grabbed the loose ball and fed it to a streaking Bridges so laid it up for the score and a six point Madonna lead – 97-61 with 1:19 showing on the clock.

The Crusaders pushed their lead to eight before a three by Sean Nowaczyk – his fourth of the night – cut the lead to five and another three by Umfress made it a two point game with five ticks left. The Crusaders in-bounded the ball to Battle who was fouled and made one of his two free throws to give the home team a 70-67 lead. Stephens’ desperation three at the horn fell short and the Crusaders escaped with the three point win.

Bridges lead the Crusader cause with a game high 18 points. Henry chipped in with 17 points of his own; including five three pointers and Battle had 13. Sims was held to just nine points, but grabbed 10 rebounds to lead MU on the boards. Nowaczyk paced the Saints with 16 points while Champine had 11 markers and 10 rebounds.

The Crusaders return to the floor and will appear in the WHAC semi-finals for just the second time in program history this Saturday when they travel to second seeded Indiana Tech for a 3pm battle inside the Schafer Center. The Crusader Radio Network will carry the game live from Fort Wayne with pre-game slated for 2:45pm.