GRAND RAPIDS,
Mich. - - A 39-point second half by #19 Aquinas proved to
be too much for the Madonna women's basketball team on Wednesday
night as the Saints came back from down 12 points to claim a
63-51 win over the visiting Crusaders. MU falls to 6-10 on the
season - 1-1 in WHAC play, while AQ moves to 13-4 overall and
matches MU with a 1-1 mark in loop action.
The Crusaders battled back
from an early deficit, trailing by seven with 14:37 to go in the
opening frame. MU got a triple from Alyssa Guerin with 5:31 left in
the first half to take a three point lead. Using a pair of scores
from Caryn Inman and a lay-up from Rebecca Rufli, the Crusaders took
a 10 point lead into the halftime intermission, up 34-24.
MU shot at a 54 percent clip
compared to just 32 percent shooting from AQ in the opening 20
minutes.
The second half however
proved to be a different story, for as hot as Madonna was in the
first half, Aquinas was just as hot in the second shooting 41
percent, to nearly double the 21 percent effort from MU.
The Saints cut the Crusader
lead over the first 12 minutes of the second half and tied the game
at 44-all and then took the lead for good with 5:32 left as April
Feldspauch completed a three point play to give Aquinas a 45-44
lead. The Saints controlled play from there, building their lead to
as many as 14, before winning by a final of 63-51.
Caryn Inman led MU with 14
points, while Tabatha Wydryck dropped in 10 for the Crusaders.
Claire Hogan had 17 to pace Aquinas.
The Crusaders wrap up their
two-game road swing with a 1:00 pm tip-off at UM-Dearborn on
Saturday.