Madonna hands Defiance third straight loss

LIVONIA, Mich. - The Defiance Yellow Jackets suffered a third straight loss following a strong start to the January schedule with a 91-63 loss to the Madonna Crusaders on Saturday at Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena.

The Yellow Jackets (6-13, 3-10 WHAC) coughed up a season-high 25 turnovers while the Crusaders (12-9, 8-5 WHAC) enjoyed a 54 percent shooting performance to win their fourth straight contest.

It turned out to be a wire-to-wire victory for Madonna after hitting a free throw to open the scoring and went on to record their second win over DC this season. Madonna standout Brendon Young, who did not play against the Yellow Jackets when the two teams met in Defiance back in December, posted a game-high 30 points on four 3-pointers and six rebounds. Christian Burton was the top scorer for the Yellow Jackets with a career-best 18 points and a trio of 3-pointers. 

THE TURNING POINT
Following a Carter Sudhoff layup to bring Defiance down by one at 9-8, Madonna took off on a 15-1 run in the first half. The Yellow Jackets committed four turnovers during this span and did not post a field goal for five minutes. Aside from a Jordyn Jury 3-pointer that broke up the drought, the lone Defiance point came from Burton at the charity stripe. After Madonna flipped the game, Defiance was not able to get closer than an eight-point deficit for the remainder of the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Madonna's 53.6 shooting percentage was the second-highest figure against the Yellow Jackets this season trailing only the Crusaders' Dec. 4 performance of 53.8 percent.
• Defiance failed to break the 70-point barrier for the third straight game.
• Jalen Brown and Connor Bush each recorded their team-best 12th and 14th game scoring double figures.
• Christian Burton's season-best 18 points surpassed his previous high of 15. His three 3-pointers were also his most in a game this year.
• Burton has also scored double digits in five straight games.
• Defiance's 25 turnovers were the first game over 20 turnovers this season.
• Madonna dominated the painted area with 58 points compared to 28 scored inside by the Jackets.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets continue their road swing with a trip to Madonna on Saturday. Tipoff against the Crusaders is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will follow the women's contest that begins at 1 p.m.

-JACKETS-