Men's Basketball's late rally falls short against Madonna

(Rochester Hills, MI) - The Rochester Christian men's basketball team rounded out the regular season, attempting to play spoiler at Madonna on Saturday. The Crusaders needed a win in order to claim the WHAC regular season title and would do so in part due to an early second-half push, which led to a 12-point victory. RCU falls to 20-8 overall and finishes 15-7 in WHAC play. 

FIRST HALF

A tight defensive first half had the teams combining to shoot 29% from the field. The first three buckets from RCU would come from Tyler Allen, Tymias Williams, and Darnell Turner Jr as the score was tied at 6, just 5:34 into the game. After a pair of MU threes, Linden Holder would get in the scoring column with a three of his own, and Tyler Allen would convert a tip-in. 

Over the next six minutes, RCU would outscore the Crusaders 6-4, going into the under-10 timeout. Madonna would close out the final six minutes with a 9-6 run, giving them a four-point lead at the half. 

SECOND HALF

After a James Fisher layup on RCU's first possession, Madonna would go on a 16-4 run over the next five minutes, breaking the game open to a 14-point difference. RCU would be able to get within 11 points over the next couple of minutes, but would be unable to get the score down to single digits. 

Madonna would be able to draw the lead back to 16 points with 6:44 remaining in the game before Tyler Allen took over. Allen would see back-to-back possessions with a steal as well as scoring an "and-1" off the turnover, scoring seven straight points. Tymias Williams and Darnell Turner Jr. added to the RCU run with seven points, getting the Crusader lead down to four points. Over the final three minutes, the majority of points from both sides would come down to the free throw line, as MU was able to hold off the late rally. 

TOP PERFORMERS

Tymias Williams led the Warriors as one of four RCU players to hit double digits in points with 19. James Fisher added 14 points, while Darnell Turner Jr. and Tyler Allen contributed 12. Linden Holder led the team with three assists. 

Tymias Williams would lead the rebound effort with eight, while James Fisher and Tyler Allen both tallied seven. Williams created four turnovers, while Fisher had three blocks. 

UP NEXT

The Warriors will now host the WHAC Quarterfinals on Thursday, February 26 at 7 PM.