LIVONIA, Mich. – The Indiana Tech men's basketball team defeated Madonna University, 83-68, on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Tournament inside the MU Activities Center. With the win and a berth in the WHAC Tournament Championship, the Warriors have secured the league's second automatic berth to the NAIA Division II National Championship next month.
 
Edmond Early, Jr. scored a team-high 17 points while adding seven assists, five rebounds and two steals. Dylan Phair added 14 points and five rebounds while Max Huber chipped in 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Logan Primerano added 13 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench while Mitch Morken grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
 
Tech led wire-to-wire as Morken kicked off the game with a triple to start a 7-0 run for the third-seeded Warriors. A 4-0 spurt from the Crusaders was countered by a 15-1 run by the Orange and Black who extended their lead to 22-5 with 10:29 left to play in the opening half. A three minute and 46 second scoring drought by the hosts powered Tech's attack while four different players scored during the run.
 
WHAC Newcomer of the Year Dwight Burton snapped the drought and run with a triple at the 9:17 mark, but Madonna would not crack the deficit to single digits for the remaining of the half. A 6-2 spurt from the hosts would be answered by a 9-0 run by Tech in the last two minutes and 30 seconds of the period with Primerano knocking down three free throws and Early and Huber each connecting from distance.
 
The Warriors grew their lead to 29 points with 15:16 left in the game following a 13-4 run. Burton started a 9-0 run for the Crusaders, who finished the game with 33 points, to cut the deficit down to 20, but Phair answered with a triple of his own to stop the hosts' momentum. The second-seeded Crusaders tried to claw their way back into the game, cutting Tech's lead down to 15 points with 3:12 to play, but the Warriors held off the late charge to make their way to the WHAC title game for the first time since 2011.
 
Tech (21-11) will take on No. 10-ranked and top-seeded Cornerstone University in the WHAC Tournament Championship on Tuesday, February 26. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. from Mol Arena.