The Aquinas men's basketball team withstood a second half Madonna comeback to secure the road conference win on Wednesday night (Nov. 17) in Livonia, Michigan. The Saints jumped out to a nine-point lead at halftime as Gabe Overway and Trevor Ballard brought home the victory after scoring career-highs in the 82-81 win.
Aquinas now has an overall record of 5-2 on the season with a 2-1 WHAC record and Madonna's record drops to 4-2, including 1-1 in conference play.
After the Saints scored the first basket of the game, the Crusaders held a lead until there was 11:25 remaining. Aquinas then outscored Madonna 22-13 for the remainder of the first half, taking the nine-point lead into the locker room. Five of the 15 buckets scored in the first 20 minutes by AQ were from behind the arc.
The AQ lead grew to as much as 13 in the opening minutes of the second half as the Saints looked to take control. The Crusaders then ripped off a 25-9 run to take the three-point lead back with 9:21 left in regulation. The lead switched between both teams eight times within a five minute span before Aquinas took it back once and for all with 4:13 remaining. Overway then scored seven of the next 10 points to help seal the win for AQ.
Aquinas shot 53.6% from the field on 30-56 shooting, including 10-24 (41.7%) from downtown and 12-14 (85.7%) from the free throw line. Madonna went 28-68 (41.2%) from the floor, going 11-28 (39.3%) from behind the arc and 14-19 (73.7%) from the charity stripe.
Overway was nearly perfect from the field, making 10 of 11 attempts and two free throws for a career-high 22 points off the bench. He also added a team-leading eight rebounds. Ballard made all five of his baskets from beyond the three-point line in his career-high 15 point game, also coming off the bench. Justin Lary had an all-around game by scoring 13 points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out five assists.
Jesse Hillis also contributed 13 points and five boards, while assisting on four baskets. Jaylen Rutherford was also in double figures with 10 points, with Sammie Ryans scoring eight points, and Bronson Sysum scoring the one other point.
Aquinas outrebounded Madonna 32-38, while collecting more assists (21-16) and blocks (2-1). The Crusaders finished with eight steals to the Saints' five as MU had 14 turnovers and AQ had 10. The Saints finished with more bench points (38-27) and points in the paint (26-24) with the Crusaders gaining more points off turnovers (17-7) and second chance points (21-15). Throughout the game, the teams both held a lead seven times and were tied three times.
Aquinas will continue WHAC play with another away game on Saturday (Nov. 20) against UM-Dearborn in Dearborn, Michigan, with tip-off scheduled for 3:00 PM.
