LIVONIA, Mich. – The Siena Heights women's basketball team earned a 58-48 win over Madonna on the back of a big first half of play. Peyton Banks (Wadsworth, Ohio) scored 26 points to lead the Saints to the win.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 58, Madonna 48
Location: Adrian, Michigan (SHU Fieldhouse)
Records: Siena Heights (12-4, 9-3 WHAC), Madonna (2-12, 2-10 WHAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Saints jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the first six minutes of the game. The Crusaders fought back and cut the lead to 12-8 with 3:31 remaining in the opening quarter. Banks responded by going on a tear, scoring the next six points for Siena to push the lead to double-digits, 18-8, with 2:35 on the clock. Shelby Morrow (Flushing, Mich.) hit a three-point jumper to extend the lead to 21-8 before Kelsey Wyman (Blissfield, Mich.) capped the 11-0 run with a layup. Madonna scored the quarter's final basket to put things at 23-10 at the end of the first. Banks had a monster quarter in the first as she was a perfect 5-5 from the floor. She made both of her three-point attempts and her only free throw to total 13 of her 26 points in the first 10 minutes of play.
Banks added another five points to her totals during the second quarter as the Saints increased their lead to 36-19 as the teams entered the locker room for halftime.
Madonna made a push in the second half to catch Siena Heights as the Crusaders outscored their visitor 13-12 in the third and 16-10 in the fourth. However, the lead was too much for MU to overcome and the Saints were able to add their ninth win in league play.
TOP SAINTS
• Banks finished 9-14 shooting and she made 2-3 shots from deep. She hauled in a team-high eight rebounds as well.
• Morrow finished with nine points and five rebounds. She also had two steals and a block to her credit.
• Savanah Gibson (Birch Run, Mich.) finished tied for the team-high in rebounds with eight and steals with two. She also scored four points in the evening.
THE OPPOSITION
• Megan Aho (15) and Naomi Davis (10) each scored double-digit points for the Crusaders. Aho also led the team in rebounds with seven.
UP NEXT
The Saints finish the regular season at home against ninth-ranked Indiana Tech this Tuesday night, February 23. The game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m., EST, tip. The Saints own the third slot in the WHAC standings and will host the sixth-seeded team in the first round of the WHAC tournament that is set to begin on Thursday, February 25.
