The Aquinas women's basketball team played its first conference game of the season and defeated Lourdes on Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 10) in Sturrus Center. After leading by seven through the half, the Saints' defense held the Gray Wolves to three points in the third quarter to pull ahead and take the 56-37 victory.
Aquinas improved its record to 3-2 early on in the season and now 1-0 in conference play while and Lourdes falls to 3-3 and 0-1 in WHAC play.
The first quarter was back-and-forth with both teams exchanging the lead a couple of times and no lead getting bigger than four points. After leading by four through 10 minutes of play, the Saints extended their lead up to 10 with 1:18 remaining in the second quarter. A 5-0 mini run by Lourdes cut the lead down to five at halftime.
The defense then clamped down for Aquinas in the second half with AQ outscoring Lourdes 16-3 in the third quarter. Aquinas held the Gray Wolves scoreless until there was 1:09 remaining when LU hit a three for the only bucket of the period. Before the basket, the Saints held their biggest lead of the game at 21 and ended up leading by 18 with 10 minutes left to play. In the fourth quarter the Saints would see their largest lead of the game of 21. The teams played an even fourth quarter as Aquinas finished with a 19-point win.
Aquinas finished with a 31% field goal percentage after making 21-68 attempts. Shooting from behind the arc, the Saints went 5-21 and then also shot 9-11 from the free throw line. AQ held the Gray Wolves to a 21% shooting percentage and an 11% three-point, while LU made 9-12 free throws.
Marissa Brady had her second consecutive double-double with 24 points, 14 rebounds and also included five blocks. Brighton Miller also contributed to the Saints point total as she had nine points. Miller also helped out with two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Isabel Reemsnyder had the third highest point total on the team with seven points. Emily Cline crashed the boards, finishing with a team-high six rebounds. Daz'Sha Day lead the Saints in the assist column with four.
Aquinas and Lourdes tied when each team had 49 rebounds and seven steals a piece, but the Saints beat the Gray Wolves 16-8 in assists and 9-6 in blocks. AQ turned the ball over 11 times compared to 17 by the Gray Wolves.
Aquinas will next play on Saturday (Nov. 13), continuing WHAC play against rival Cornerstone for a 1:00 PM matchup.
