#MotorCityMadness Stars of the Day: March 4
Ryan Makush
GAME ONE
Mackenzie Taylor, Wright State: The Richmond, Indiana, native showcased her shooting range in the quarterfinals of Motor City Madness. A 40 percent shooter on the season from behind the arc, the guard knocked down six threes against the Vikings as she contributed 24 points to her team’s victory. The junior also tallied two steals, three assists, and five rebounds as the Raiders advance to face IUPUI in the semi-finals.
Jade Ely, Cleveland State: Just a sophomore, Ely stepped up under the bright lights of Little Caesars Arena. Ely stepped into the role of leading point contributor for the evening as she produced 19 points for the Vikings, including a made three to go along with several two-pointers off of some smooth drives to the basket. Ely snared seven boards as well and was a perfect six-for-six from the charity stripe in the game.
GAME TWO
Sarah Cash, Youngstown State: The Penguins’ leading scorer in the regular season put on a clinic inside the paint. Cash put in 24 points off some stellar moves in the post, along with eight rebounds (four of those on offense). In addition, Cash showed off her ability to thrive in crunch time as she put aside two previous misses from the stripe to hit two free throws which sealed the game with 3.5 seconds remaining and moved the Penguins into the semi-finals, where they will take on the Green Bay Phoenix.
Kelsey Cunningham , Milwaukee: The Panthers faced a difficult task as they were down 15 entering the fourth quarter. Cunningham entered the final quarter without any points, but this changed as the senior scored the first ten points of the fourth quarter for her team to rally the Panthers from down 15 to within five by the 5:25 mark. Jenny Lindner chipped in with a double-double including 14 points and 15 boards, but Cunningham’s fourth quarter frenzy sparked the Panthers near-comeback.
GAME THREE
Brock Stull, Milwaukee: The Panthers’ 6’4” junior came up massive against the Flames. Stull did a bit of everything scoring a season high 25 points on eight-for-fifteen shooting, grabbing seven rebounds, and distributing three assists. One of Stull’s two threes came at a crucial point in the game. With a 1:25 remaining, Stull’s deep ball was nothing but net to give the Panthers an eight-point lead which the Flames could not overcome. His performance helped send his Panthers to the semi-finals of Motor City Madness where they will take on Wright State.
Tarkus Ferguson, UIC: UIC’s talented sophomore showcased a scorer’s touch all throughout the game. On seven-for-ten shooting, including three-for-five from deep, Ferguson contributed 23 points to the Flames cause, a season high point total eclipsing the 19 he scored at Milwaukee in January. Ferguson handed out seven assists as well and despite coming up short, the sophomore Flame’s future burns bright for UIC.
GAME FOUR
Isaiah Brock, Oakland: Brock’s ten points did not lead the Golden Grizzlies (Kendrick Nunn’s 18 points did), but perhaps no player came up in the clutch more than Brock tonight who had two key highlight plays in the final minute. First, off a Nunn miss, a big left-handed tip-in with 57 seconds on the clock pushed the Grizzlies’ lead to three points. Then, the Horizon League’s leader in blocks came up with the most important of the six he had on the evening. With 35 seconds left in the game Brock swatted away a DJ McCall floater that would have cut the Oakland lead to one. Brock’s highlight plays came at vital times for his team and helped to send the Grizzlies to the semi-finals where they will take on Cleveland State.
Aaron Brennan, IUPUI: The Jaguars leading scorer led the way yet again for his team with a 14-point outing. Brennan did the majority of his damage on the interior and is not known for his outside touch, but with 4:20 remaining in the game Brennan hit a three to level the game at 53 and keep his team in it. The Noblesville native showed off a full bag of skills as he also finished with two blocks, nine rebounds, and a steal to go along with his point production.