Sarah Thomson scored 19 points with eight boards Saturday.

LIVONIA, Mich. -- In a game that pitted two of the top three teams in the WHAC, only one could claim victory after 40:00 minutes of play.  Madonna gave it all they had, but ended up on the short end, as first place Spring Arbor went on to beat the Crusaders, 74-69, Saturday afternoon.  With the win, the Cougars raised their record to 9-0 in WHAC play, while Madonna fell to 5-4.

Spring Arbor had control for most of the first half, trailing only 2-0 to start the game.  The Cougars went on an 8-0 run to up their lead to eight points, 19-11 with 12:37 in the half.  The Crusaders did not back down, closing the gap back to five points, on a Marwa Ayoub three-point play.  The Cougars did not relent, taking their largest lead of the half, 40-27, on a April Bennet lay-up with 1:24 left.  Madonna brought the lead into single digits on an Ayoub three with four seconds left.  The Crusaders were down, but not out, going into the half down, 33-42.

The second half was more of the same, as Spring Arbor went back up by 12, 50-38, on a Shanna Grubaugh field goal.  The Cougars maintained a double digit lead for most of the second half but the Crusaders were determined not to let the game slip away.  Madonna pulled back to within five, 69-64, on back-to-back threes by Ayoub and Amy Henry with 5:35 left.  The Crusaders never got any closer than four however, as Spring Arbor kept them at bay.

Madonna was led by Sarah Thomson, who netted 19 points and pulled down eight boards, while Ayoub and Stephanie Childs chipped in 13 and 11, respectively.  Kristin Van Valin, the reigning WHAC player of the week scored 13 points with 15 rebounds and eight blocked shots for the Cougars.

The Crusaders lace them up again next Wednesday night at the Activities Center against Cornerstone University.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Contact: Matt Fancett, SID (734) 432-5610