The Aquinas men's basketball team held a halftime lead at WHAC counterpart Lawrence Tech on Wednesday (Jan. 27), but the home Blue Devils bounced back over the final 20 minutes to pull away with the 67-59 victory. AQ led by as many as 13 points early in the second half, but strong shooting from LTU closed out the home win.
 
With Wednesday's result, Aquinas drops to 0-2 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. Lawrence Tech improves to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in league action. After the Saints led 28-22 at halftime, the Blue Devils outscored AQ by a 45-31 margin in the final 20 minutes.
 
Justin Lary led the Saints with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. He made 3-of-5 triple tries and grabbed four offensive boards in 28 minutes. Lary was joined in double figures by Trevor Ballard, who posted a career-high 11 points and six rebounds. Ballard was 5-for-11 from the field and logged 31 minutes in his first collegiate start.
 
Gabe Overway played all 40 minutes and was one point shy of a double-double, posting 10 rebounds and nine points. Jesse Hillis totaled nine points and four rebounds. Tevin Ali and Danyel Bibbs each scored six points off the bench, while Sammie Ryans recorded six rebounds and five points.
 
AQ jumped out to an 8-0 lead on triples from Lary and Ballard and would hold the advantage the entire first half. It was 28-22 at halftime after a layup from Bibbs in the closing minute of the half. A jumper by Ali and a Ballard layup gave the Saints a 44-31 cushion five minutes into the second half, but Lawrence Tech began to chip away.
 
Lawrence Tech tied the score at 48-all with 7:33 remaining and pulled away, building as much as a 12-point lead in the final minute. 
 
For the game, the Saints shot 36.4 percent from the field and made 7-of-27 three-pointers. AQ was 4-for-8 at the line, while LTU took 22 free throws, making 13 freebies. The Blue Devils connected at a 42.6 percent  clip from the field and went 8-for-22 from downtown.
 
Aquinas begins a three-game homestand this Saturday (Jan. 30) at 2:00 p.m. in the Sturrus Center, as the Saints welcome Indiana Tech. No fans will be admitted into Saturday's game or any home athletic events until at least Feb. 21.