A terrific defensive effort helped the Aquinas women's basketball team take down visiting Concordia on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 4) in the Sturrus Center. The Saints held the Cardinals to just 27 percent shooting from the field and only 23 first-half points to pull out the hard-fought 58-50 home victory.

A battle of two teams in the upper half of the WHAC standings was a gritty, defensive battle and a matchup that saw 46 total turnovers. Each team held a double-digit lead during the contest and Aquinas shot only 33.9 percent from the field, but the defense was key and held Concordia to 27.5 percent from the floor.

AQ's defense also limited Concordia to 3-of-17 from three-point range and only allowed 11 free throws for the visitors; CUAA made nine.

The teams were fourth and fifth in the WHAC standings entering the game, with Aquinas moving to 5-2 in league play and CUAA dropping to 5-3. Overall, AQ is 9-7, while the Cardinals are 10-5.

Aquinas won the rebounding battle 49-42 and that was in large part to the Saints' tallest and shortest players. Center Marissa Brady finished just one point and one block shy of a triple-double, totaling 13 rebounds, nine points, and a career-high nine blocked shots. The nine rejections were one shy of the school record of 10 blocks, set by Nicole Miehlke back in 2000. She also added four steals and two assists.

Point guard Camaryia Williams led all players with a game-high 15 rebounds, to go with six points, five steals, and three assists. Williams' first bucket of the game gave her 1,000 career points during her college career, split between Muskegon Community College and Aquinas.

The AQ bench outscored Concordia's reserves by a 24-2 margin, including a game-high 18 points from guard Jaylynn Williams. She made 7-of-16 shots and all four free throws to provide a major spark off the bench. JaKarri Alven added eight points, while Daz'Sha Day recorded six points and six rebounds. Keeley Hinton chipped in five points.

Both teams made the same number of field goals (19) and three-pointers (three), but AQ's advantage was at the free throw line. The Saints went 17-of-22 at the line, while Concordia was 9-for-11; the eight-point margin at the charity stripe equaled the final eight-point deficit in the game.

CUAA held a 16-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter and built a 21-11 edge midway through the second stanza. The Saints responded with a 10-0 run on buckets from both Jaylynn and Camaryia Williams, a layup from Hinton, two Alven free throws, and a Brady jumper, tying the score at 21-all. A three-pointer from Kailee Ford sent AQ into halftime with a 30-23 cushion, turning a 10-point deficit into a seven-point lead.

The AQ advantage went to 34-23 on two Jaylynn Williams free throws with 3:37 remaining in the third quarter, the biggest lead of the game for either team. Concordia bounced back and pulled within a point in the final minute, but Aquinas took a 37-35 lead to the fourth quarter.

It was 46-44 midway through the fourth frame, when Day started a 7-0 run with a layup and Brady hit two free throws. A Jaylynn Williams jumper with 3:01 remaining made it 53-44 and the Saints closed out the game at the free throw line, sinking five freebies in the final minute.

The Saints continue their three-game homestand with a 5:30 p.m. showdown with Indiana Tech on Wednesday (Jan. 8) in Grand Rapids.