Lourdes went into the fourth quarter tied with Madonna on the road Wednesday evening, but the Crusaders opened the final stanza with nine straight points on the way to defeating the Gray Wolves 68-61 inside The Activities Center in Livonia, Mich.
 
"This was a tough loss for us," head coach Summer Quesenberry said.  "Madonna was able to hit two big threes at the end of the game that made the biggest difference.  Our team is overcoming adversity and will be much stronger because of it.  I am looking forward to the week ahead of us."
 
The Gray Wolves started slow offensively, missing their first 12 shots from the floor while falling behind 6-1 before Tatyana Reynolds (Toledo, Ohio/Rogers H.S.) drained a three-pointer at the 4:17 mark for the team's first field goal.  The Crusaders built an eight-point lead late in the stanza before a Tiera Thomas (Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford H.S.) triple made it 17-12 at the quarter break.
 
Trailing by seven with five minutes to play in the second, Lourdes went on a 12-4 run to close the half, taking a 28-27 lead into the break following a Christiana Jefferson's (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) lay-in as time was expiring.
 
Lourdes led by as many as five in the third quarter before Madonna tied the game on a three-point play late in the period, starting a 12-0 run which ran into the final stanza.  With the nine-point deficit, the Gray Wolves continued to battle, cutting the deficit to one on a Sydney Miller (Huntsville, Ohio/Indiana Lake H.S.) three with 1:44 to play.  The deficit was still just two, 63-61, following another Miller triple with 41 seconds remaining, but the Crusaders closed with the game's final five points.
 
Reynolds led the Gray Wolves with 19 points, making five three-pointers, while Jefferson added 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.  Miller had 11 points as three Lourdes players finished the game in double figures.
 
Becca Sabol led Madonna (5-5, 2-2 WHAC) with 16 points and 14 rebounds while Cris Harper added 13 points and 10 boards.  Kacy Roberson added 14 points and five Crusaders finished in double figures for the game.
 
Lourdes (3-5, 1-3) will travel to Orrville, Ohio on Sunday afternoon as the Gray Wolves face Miami-Middletown in a neutral site contest.  Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. inside of the Boyer Health and PE Center on the campus of the University of Akron Wayne College.