Madonna Advances to Final Site with Pair of NAIA Tourney Wins

Photo: Ryan Mitchell, MU Sports Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - (NAIA Release) (Bracket) The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) had three teams competing in the opening round of the 2024 NAIA Men's Basketball Championships last weekend. Regular season champion Madonna won the required two games and will represent the WHAC at the final site in Kansas City next week. WHAC tournament champion Cornerstone won its opening round game, but fell to top-seeded College of Idaho in the round of 32 to be eliminated. At-large bid, Lourdes, lost it's opening round game and was also eliminated. Madonna will take on top-seeded and defending National Champion College of Idaho on Friday, March 22 at 6 PM EDT. This is the programs first-ever trip to the round of 16.

No. 5 Madonna def. No. 12 Dordt (Iowa) 77-72 Box Score

In their first game of the tournament, Madonna earned a close win over Dordt (Iowa) to earn the second tournament win in program history. The Crusaders used a late comeback to overtake the Defenders from Dordt and earn the victory. Brendan Young led Madonna with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Isaac Anderson scored 16 points and 11 rebounds and hit a number of clutch free throws down the stretch to seal the deal. Matthew MacLellan added 16 and 10 for Madonna's third double-double of the game. 

No. 5 Madonna def. No. 13 Shawnee State (Ohio) 81-78 Box Score

Madonna punched its ticket to the final site with another thriller on their home floor in Livonia. 13-seed Shawnee State (Ohio), fresh off a dominate 92-77 upset win over No. 4 Roosevelt (Ill.) gave the Crusaders a test, but ultimately it was Madonna who prevailed and punched its ticket to Kansas City. Up by one point with six second remaining, Brendan Young hit two clutch free throws to make it a three-point game. A last ditch heave from Shawnee State was no good and Madonna was headed to the round of 16 for the first time in program history. Brendan Young had a massive game for Madonna to headline four scorers in double-figures. Young scored 26 along with eight rebounds and three blocks followed by Isaac Anderson with 17 points and five boards. Devin Dunn had 14 with four boards and three assists while Matthew MacLellan posted 13 with seven rebounds and three assists. 

No. 8 Cornerstone def. No. 9 Carroll (Mont.) 72-66 Box Score

WHAC tournament champion Cornerstone earned a 72-66 win in its opening round game in Caldwell, Idaho on Friday, March 15. The Golden Eagles got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as 10 points early on but a 21-2 run helped Cornerstone take the lead and eventually earn the win. WHAC Defensive Player of the Year, Cory Ainsworth, led the scoring effort with 26 points. He also pulled down six rebounds, had two assists and blocked a shot. Luke Rowlinson was the only other scorer in double figures with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Nine different Cornerstone players scored two or more points in the balanced offensive attack. The win pushed the Golden Eagles to the site finals where they would matchup with host and top-seed College of Idaho with a trip to Kansas City on the line.

No. 1 College of Idaho def. No. 8 Cornerstone 74-32 Box Score

The top-seed of the quadrant and national No. 3 seed College of Idaho ended Cornerstone's stellar season on Saturday afternoon in Caldwell, Idaho. An 11-0 run from the Yotes midway through the first half proved to swing the scales in favor of College of Idaho and Cornerstone was never able to mount a comeback. Cory Ainsworth once again led the scoring for CU, tallying 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Luke Rowlinson was close behind with 15 followed by Jack Joldersma with 12 along with eight rebounds. Cornerstone concluded its season with a 25-8 overall record. 

No. 3 Morningside (Iowa) def. No. 14 Lourdes 93-78 Box Score

Leading 48-38 at the half, Morningside used a 13-2 run to open the second half and fend off any chance of a Lourdes comeback on Friday, March 15 in Sioux City, Iowa. Lourdes had three scorers in double figures including Jackie Harris who led the Gray Wolves with 29 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Shaunn Monroe had 21 points and Joey Holifield had 14 points and four rebounds. Lourdes was unable to slow a Morningside offense that shot 58.3% from the field. Lourdes concluded the 2023-24 season with a 22-7 overall record.