Strong first and fourth quarters was enough to carry the Aquinas women's basketball team past visiting Northwestern Ohio on Wednesday night (Feb. 19) in the Sturrus Center. The Saints led 16-2 after the first quarter and closed the game with a 23-8 margin in the fourth quarter to notch the 68-46 victory. In the win, AQ's Camaryia Williams set the new school single season record for rebounds.
Aquinas led wire-to-wire, but UNOH made it an interesting game early in the fourth quarter, cutting a 17-point deficit to just four points. After the Racers made it 45-41 with 9:06 to play, the Saints scored 23 of the last 28 points in the game to notch the conference win.
With the victory, AQ improves to 16-12 overall and 12-7 in WHAC play. UNOH drops to 10-10 on the season and 6-13 in league action. Aquinas sweeps the season series, beating the Racers in Lima 72-57 on Jan. 15.
The big story going into the game was Williams, the small AQ point guard who was on the verge of breaking the school record for rebounds in a season. Needing to collect just three caroms, Williams grabbed the record-breaking board less than three minutes into the first quarter. Head coach Brian Morris called a timeout shortly after the accomplishment and the AQ crowd gave Williams a big round of applause for her record-setting achievement.
It was her 305th rebound of the year, the most of any Aquinas player in the 43-year history of the program. She passed Nicole Miehlke, who totaled 304 rebounds in the 1999-2000 season. Now with 313 rebounds this season, Williams finished with a game-high 11 boards, her 17th double-digit rebounding game of the season. She added seven points, a game-high seven assists, and three steals.
Eight AQ players scored at least six points in the win. Brighton Miller came off the bench to pour in 13 points in 16 minutes, making 4-of-5 field goals, including a 3-for-3 mark from three-point range. She also recorded three steals. Marissa Brady also reached double-digits with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, adding seven rebounds and four blocks.
JaKarri Alven and Jordyn Wigg each scored eight points and Jaylynn Williams chipped in seven points. Keeley Hinton and Destini Lewis totaled six points each, with Hinton totaling seven rebounds and three assists and Lewis making all three shots from the field and grabbing three boards in eight minutes.
Ally Frederickson did not score on her one shot attempt, but made quite an impact in 11 minutes. She blocked four shots, grabbed four rebounds (three offensively) and added an assist.
AQ scored the final 11 points of the first quarter to lead 16-2 after the opening 10 minutes. Jaylynn Williams hit a jumper with 5:12 remaining in the second half for a 22-5 Saints lead, the largest advantage until late in the fourth quarter. Both teams scored 17 points in the second quarter, making it 33-19 at the half.
The Racers used a 19-12 third quarter advantage to make it 45-38 entering the fourth. After UNOH trimmed the deficit to four points at 45-41, Daz'Sha Day scored on an old-fashioned three-point play. Brady followed with a layup and Miller drained a three-pointer to extend the lead back to a 53-41 cushion with six minutes to play. The Saints would cruise from there, scoring the game's final 13 points to seal the win.
AQ heads to Fort Wayne on Saturday (Feb. 22) for a matchup with #11 Indiana Tech, the top team in the WHAC standings. On Jan. 8, Indiana Tech escaped the Sturrus Center with a 61-58 overtime victory over the Saints. It is the regular season finale for both teams, with the WHAC Tournament beginning next Thursday (Feb. 27).
