Led by junior DJ Baisden's 24 point performance, the Spring Arbor University men's basketball team cruised past the Madonna University Crusaders in the opening round of the Jamieson Allen Tip Off tournament on Friday night.
The season opener for both teams started out slowly, with SAU holding a 28-19 lead at halftime.
The second half opened up, at least for Spring Arbor, as the Cougars shot a sizzling 65% (17-26) from the floor to pull away. SAU outscored the visitors 49-36 in the closing stanza.
Senior Rob Boss was the only other Cougar to score in double digits, as he poured in 14 points to go along with six rebounds on the night. Freshman Chris Bellamy chipped in with eight points in his debut as a Cougar.
Robert Morris University (IL) defeated the University of Windsor (ONT) in the six o'clock matchup, meaning that the Cougars will square off with the NAIA #1 ranked Eagles for the tournament championship tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. University of Windsor will face Madonna in the consolation game which tips off at 1:00 p.m.
