The Aquinas women's basketball team battled the WHAC's top team on Wednesday night (Feb. 5) in the Sturrus Center, but #14 Siena Heights prevailed in a 51-42 final. AQ got off to a slow start against the visiting Saints, but made it a one-point game midway through the fourth quarter, when SHU pulled away to seal the road win.

Sitting atop the conference standings, Siena Heights improves to 23-2 on the season and 15-1 in WHAC play. Aquinas dips to 14-11 overall and 10-6 in conference action. The Saints remain in fourth place in the WHAC standings, one game ahead of Concordia.

Two of the better defensive teams in the league showed why on Wednesday night. Siena Heights shot only 36.7 percent from the field and 4-of-13 from three-point range, while AQ connected on 35.3 percent of its field goal tries and 3-of-17 from downtown. SHU also had an advantage at the line, outscoring Aquinas 11-3 at the charity stripe – in a game in which it won by nine points.

The home Saints won the rebounding battle 37-32, but turned the ball over 23 times. Siena Heights committed 18 turnovers. Nine players scored for AQ, though nobody reached double-digits. JaKarri Alven led the way with nine points, three assists, and two boards, while Marissa Brady was a bucket shy of a double-double with 10 rebounds, eight points, two blocks, and two steals.

Camaryia Williams and Kailee Ford each scored seven points, with Williams adding six rebounds and three assists. Ally Frederickson grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot in seven minutes, while Destini Lewis recorded three boards, three steals, and an assist in 13 minutes off the bench.

Siena Heights scored the final seven points of the first quarter to take a 13-6 lead. The visitors' lead grew to 14 points on three different occasions in the second quarter, but Ford's late three-pointer made it a 29-18 score at halftime.

AQ cut into the deficit in the third quarter and made it a 37-30 score heading into the fourth quarter. To start the final period, Brady hit a jumper, Daz'Sha Day made a layup, Alven connected on a short jumper in the paint for a 37-36 score.

It was 39-38 with 5:35 remaining after a Brady baseline jumper, but Siena Heights went on a 7-0 run over the next three-plus minutes to take control at 46-38 with 2:18 to play. SHU closed the game out with free throws in the final minute.

Previous winners of seven of eight games, Aquinas has dropped three in a row – all by less than nine points. The Saints look to regroup on Saturday in Ann Arbor against Concordia at 1:00 p.m. Sitting one game ahead of the Cardinals in the WHAC standings, Aquinas looks to sweep the season series from CUAA and hold the tiebreaker as the teams near the postseason.