The Aquinas men's basketball team held a 10-point halftime advantage over a good NCAA Division II team on the road, but the Saints were unable to hold onto the lead and close out Saginaw Valley State, falling by a 77-73 score in the closing minutes on Tuesday night (Nov. 26). AQ had a pair of potential go-ahead three-pointers in the final 35 seconds, but both were just off target and SVSU closed the game with a pair of free throws to earn the home win in University Center, Mich.
 
The rare matchup between an NAIA school and a GLIAC opponent like Saginaw Valley State – a team that went to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight just four seasons ago – counted on both team's schedules as simply a non-conference game. SVSU, which started the month with an exhibition game at Michigan, improves to 3-2 overall, while Aquinas drops to 1-8 on the year.
 
AQ (47.2 percent) outshot the home Cardinals (46.2) from the field and was slightly more efficient from beyond the arc, as the Saints went 8-of-22 for a 36.4 percentage. SVSU was 10-of-28 from downtown for 35.7 percent. Aquinas also held a 15-7 advantage in made free throws, as the Saints connected at an 88.2 percentage at the charity stripe. 
 
The rebounding battle went AQ's way with a 34-28 edge and the Saints led in bench points, 24-20. Saginaw Valley State was on top in the paint (36-28), on fast break points (20-16), and points off turnovers (16-0). Aquinas turned the ball over 20 times, compared to only 14 for the Cardinals.
 
Justin Lary poured in a team-best 17 points in only 23 minutes, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and pulling down five rebounds. He went 3-of-7 from the field, including a pair of trifectas to start the game and give AQ a 6-0 advantage. Gabe Overway put together his best effort in an Aquinas uniform, notching 16 points in 23 minutes. The freshman big man shot 5-of-8 from the field and made all six of his free throw tries.
 
Jesse Hillis recorded 11 points, made a pair of three-pointers, and was 3-for-4 at the line. Beau LePage also hit two trifectas and scored eight points off the bench. Davion Benton supplied game-highs of eight rebounds and four steals in 17 productive minutes, while scoring six points.
 
Deric Murray chipped in six points, Andrew Myers notched five assists and four rebounds, and DeShawn Lewis added five points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. 
 
The Saints outscored SVSU 44-34 in the first half, but Saginaw Valley State posted a 43-29 advantage over the final 20 minutes. In addition to Lary's two game-opening triples, Overway scored on a layup to put AQ out in front at 8-0. The Cardinals responded to tie the game at 12-12, but a pair of Hillis three-pointers and layups from Lary and Benton gave the Saints a 22-12 cushion.
 
Aquinas would stay out in front the remainder of the half, owning a 41-29 lead in the final two minutes after two Benton freebies. A three-pointer from Lewis in the closing minute put AQ in front at the half, 44-34.
 
SVSU used an early run in the second half to its first lead at 50-48 with 15:19 remaining and pushed to a 64-58 lead around the eight-minute mark. A 6-0 Saints run – four points from Hillis and a Lary layup – tied the game at 64-all with 6:34 to play. 
 
The game was tied again at 69-69 with 4:04 to go, but Saginaw Valley State crept out to a slim 75-73 lead with 1:45 remaining. Aquinas had a three-pointer at the 35-second mark that rimmed out and after forcing a Cardinal turnover on SVSU's next possession, the Saints had one more chance. But a potential game-winning triple with five seconds left was off target and the Cardinals finished the game with two free throws on the other end.
  
AQ returns to action this weekend at the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Classic, being hosted at Cornerstone. The Saints play at 6:00 p.m. on both nights, facing Calvin on Friday (Nov. 29) and Hope on Saturday (Nov. 30).