A career-high scoring performance from sophomore
Daz'Sha Day was not enough to propel the Aquinas women's basketball team in a road non-conference game on Tuesday night (Nov. 19) in Indiana. Day posted a game-high 24 points, but the Saints fell short of topping Huntington, as AQ dropped a 64-54 decision to the Foresters.
Both Aquinas and Huntington were ranked just outside of the top-25 in the preseason poll, with each team listed among the first five teams in the Receiving Votes column. Tuesday's result puts AQ at 3-4 overall, while Huntington improves to 7-1 on the season. The Foresters are the fourth opponent for Aquinas already this season that is either ranked in the top-25 or in the Receiving Votes column.
Despite the loss, Day was a bright moment for the Saints. The sophomore guard – who earned a spot on the All-WHAC Freshman Team last year – started this season with a new career-high 16 points in the opener at Goshen on Oct. 23. She upped the total to 22 points in the win over Madonna last Saturday (Nov. 16) and eclipsed that again on Tuesday with her game-best 24 points.
Day shot 10-of-15 from the field against Huntington, was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, and recorded five steals, three assists, and two boards.
Camaryia Williams and
JaKarri Alven each scored five points; Williams led the Saints with six rebounds and added a pair of steals.
Four players –
Ally Frederickson,
Marissa Brady,
Destini Lewis, and
Jordyn Wigg – added four points apiece.
The teams shot nearly the same percentage, with AQ connecting on 45.3 percent of its field goals (making 24 shots), while Huntington hit 46.4 percent of its attempts (with 26 makes). Aquinas was 5-of-9 from three-point range, while holding the Foresters to a 4-for-17 clip from beyond the arc. The home team did have an advantage at the line, as Huntington was 8-of-11 at the stripe, while the Saints went just 1-for-2.
Huntington held a 34-27 edge on the boards. Aquinas committed 20 turnovers, while forcing 18 Forester miscues. Both teams scored 34 points in the paint.
A bucket from Lewis late in the first quarter tied the game at 11-11 after the opening 10 minutes. The Foresters took a 26-23 lead to halftime, as neither team led by more than five points in the first half.
After tallying 26 points in the first 20 minutes, Huntington scored 25 points in a high-paced third quarter, which also saw AQ put up 19 points. The Foresters took a pair of nine-point leads in the quarter, including the 51-42 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. AQ could get no closer than nine points in the fourth quarter, as Huntington closed out the non-conference win.
The Saints have a quick turnaround, as AQ will be on the road again on Wednesday night (Nov. 20) in a big WHAC contest. Aquinas travels to take on #22 UM-Dearborn at 5:30 p.m.
