FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's basketball team opened their conference season by hosting Madonna University on Saturday afternoon in the Schaefer Center. After a slow start to the season, the Orange and Black looked to right the ship but came up short as they fell to the Crusaders 86-77. Tech moves to 1-4 on the season and begins their conference campaign 0-1.
 
The Orange and Black got off to a slow start in the first half as they found themselves trailing 16-6 with just under 15 minutes remaining in the first half. With 9:08 on the clock, the Crusaders had stretched their lead to 15, but the Warriors battled back to cut into the Crusaders' lead, diminishing the margin to 7 off a pair of made free throws from Dallas Roberts with 1:30 left in the first half. The Crusaders closed the half with three unanswered buckets to take a 46-32 lead into the half. Out of the halftime break, the two teams traded buckets, with Madonna stretching their lead to its largest of the game, 20, at the 16:44 mark in the second half. From that point, the Warriors began the long, slow grind to get back into the game and brought it within striking distance as a three from Steve Helm made it a two-possession game with 2:24 left. A Conner West three less than a minute later brought the Warriors within six, but Tech ultimately came up short as the Crusaders made their free throws to end the game with an 86-77 win over the Warriors.
 
Nigel Martin led the way for the Orange and Black with his second 30+ point game of the season, finishing with 31 points and a team-high 6 rebounds. Lucas Lyyski and Dallas Roberts both scored double-digits off the bench, with Lyyski posting 12, while Roberts scored 11. Lyyski added 4 rebounds, and Roberts had 2 with 3 assists.
 
The Warriors travel to Lansing, Michigan, for their next match up with Cleary University on Tuesday, November 21, with the game scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.