The Dordt University men's basketball team fell to 14th-ranked Madonna (Mich.) 77-72 in a first round match-up of the Livonia (Mich.) Bracket in the 2024 NAIA National Championship Tournament.

The Defenders season comes to an end with a 19-11 record; the host Crusaders advance to Saturday night's championship game with a chance to move on to the final site, Kansas City, Mo.

• Box Score | PDF

Bryce Coppock poured in a game-high 30 points, 19 in the first half, and Luke Rankin contributed 12 points and six assists for the Defenders. 

A lay-up by Ty Van Essen put Dordt up by five (72-67) with 5:18 left but the Defenders were held scoreless the rest of the way as Madonna scored the final 10 points of the game. 

Lay-ups by Ethan Emerzian and Isaac Anderson brought the lead down to one and a put-back by Brendan Young with 2:47 gave Madonna its first lead of the second half. 

Both teams failed to score on their next three possessions, until, following a Crusaders miss, Anderson was fouled after an offensive rebound and made two free throws to push the Madonna lead to 75-72 with 29 seconds left. The Defenders missed on a potential game-tying three-point try on their next possession and Anderson made two more free throws after being fouled on the rebound. 

The Defenders led for most of the game but were unable to completely put away Madonna. Dordt started the game strong, jumping out to an 8-2 lead on consecutive baskets by Coppock and Rankin. Dordt pushed the lead to as much as seven (24-17) at the 10:33 mark before Madonna rallied with a 10-2 run, finished off with a basket by Anderson and free throw from Matthew MacLellan, to take a 34-30 lead with 4:23 left in the half. 

Dordt quickly came back to tie the game at 38 on a fast-break bucket by Connor Millikan and then scored the next seven points for a 45-38 advantage. Madonna closed the gap to three (45-42) by halftime. 

The Defenders stretched the lead to seven (57-50) early in the second half, but, like earlier in the game, Madonna had an answer, coming back with an 8-2 run to make it a one-point game. From there, the game was tight with the Defenders never leading by more than five.

By the Numbers:

• Dordt shot 47% (29/62); Madonna 49% (32/66)
  • both teams shot 55% in the first half
• Dordt converted 5-of-23 3pters (22%), Madonna made 4-of-21 3pters (19%)
  • the Defenders held Madonna to well below their 35% average from beyond the arc
  • Dordt also held the Crusaders to below their average of 3pters made in a game (10)
• both teams went 9/13 from the free throw line
• Madonna held a 40-27 advantage on the boards, including an 11-5 edge on the offensive glass
  • the margin at the half was 1 (16-15) in favor of Madonna
• the Crusaders had three players record double-doubles:
  • Brendan Young - 19 points, 10 rebounds
  • Matthew MacLellan - 16pts, 10 rebounds
  • Isaac Anderson - 16pts, 11 rebounds

Defender Notes:

• this was the third 30-point game for Coppock this season, fifth for his career
• Coppock has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games, 27 this season
• Rankin scored in double figures in his fourth straight game, 19th overall this season
• Ben Fairclough led the Defenders with 11 rebounds, matching his career-high
• this was the final game for the Defender seniors who have been part of the program:
  • Shane Haagsma
  • Jackson Louscher
  • Andrew DeVries
  • Austin Van Donge

  Read Full Article