LIVONIA, Mich. - After leading by 20 points in the second half, the Madonna men's basketball team had to hold off a late surge by 19th-ranked Aquinas in a 74-69 decision Monday night at the Activities Center.

The Saints trailed 55-35 with 14:31 left in the contest before sparking an offensive surge that saw Aquinas outscore Madonna 34-13 over the next 13 minutes which led to Saints claiming their first lead of the night, 69-68.

Madonna would regain the lead on a pair of free throws from D.J. Bridges (Canton, Mich./Canton HS) with 0:42 left on the clock. 

On the ensuing possession, Aquinas was unable to score and turned the ball over.  Following a timeout, the Saints were forced to foul and senior forward Derrick Mudri (Fowlerville, Mich./Fowlerville HS) hit both shots from the charity stripe to lengthen the Crusaders lead to three points (72-69).

Aquinas would have two chances to tie the game, but both three point attempts were off target and senior guard Adam Kerfoot (Gaylord, Mich./St. Mary HS) clinched the win for Madonna after hitting two more bonus free throws after being fouled while collecting the final rebound.

The Crusaders led 45-33 at halftime after shooting 55-percent (16-of-29) from the floor, including 58-percent (7-of-12) from downtown.

Overall, Madonna shot 54-percent (25-of-46) from the floor, including 53-percent (10-of-19) from behind the three-point line in the win. 

The Crusaders were led by Bridges' 19 points.  Mudri and junior guard Charlie Henry (Canton, Mich./Agape Christian Academy) each had 16 points and Kerfoot added 10 points for Madonna.

Aquinas shot 51-percent (25-of-49) from the field, including 44-percent (7-of-16) from beyond the arc in the loss.  Jeff Wierzbicki led the Saints with 16 points.

The Crusaders will return to the court on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) to take on Siena Heights in the Activities Center at 7:30 p.m.