An early run in the second half was enough to help Indiana Tech earn a 79-67 road victory over the Aquinas men in Saturday's (Jan. 30) home opener inside the Sturrus Center. The game was tied at 42-all at halftime, but the Warriors jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first six minutes of the second half to take control of the WHAC contest. AQ would pull within six points on a few occasions, but could not complete the comeback on Saturday.
It was just the third game of the season for Aquinas, which drops to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in WHAC play. Indiana Tech was playing its 18th game of the 2020-21 year, including its sixth contest in January. The Warriors – who are receiving votes nationally in the latest poll – are now 11-7 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
AQ played Indiana Tech stride-for-stride in the opening 20 minutes, as neither team led by more than seven points. The Saints trailed 22-17 at the 10:00 mark before Jesse Hillis drained a three-pointer and Sammie Ryans added back-to-back triples in a 33-second span to put Aquinas in front 27-22. A Trevor Ballard trifecta made it 35-29 with 3:36 to play in the half, which was the largest lead of the day for the Saints.
Ryans' knocked down his fifth three-pointer of the first half with 42 seconds to play, but Indiana Tech's Grant Smith hit three free throws with 19 seconds to go and sent the game to a 42-42 deadlock at intermission.
The Warriors used 12-2 run in the first six minutes of the second half to open a 54-44 advantage, but AQ continued to stay close and made it a 58-52 score with 8:59 to go after a jumper from Bronson Sysum. From there, Indiana Tech pushed back out to a double-digit lead and would prevail with the win.
Indiana Tech shot 47.3 percent from the field and was a startling 21-for-30 from the free throw line. The Warriors went 6-of-17 from downtown. Aquinas shot just one free throw in the loss, but made 12-of-29 three-pointers. The Saints shot 41.5 percent overall. There were seven lead changes and five tie scores in the game.
Ryans was terrific from outside, hitting 7-of-12 three-pointers for a team-high 24 points. He was 8-for-15 from the field and also added four assists. Hillis also shot 8-of-15 from the floor and totaled a double-double of 18 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while also dishing out four assists.
Ballard notched eight points and five rebounds, while Tevin Ali chipped in six points off the bench. Sysum posted five points and two steals.
The Saints have a quick turnaround, as they continue the three-game homestand on Sunday (Jan. 31). AQ will host Rochester at 3:00 p.m. in the Sturrus Center.
