The Aquinas men's basketball team took care of business in the final game of the Grand Rapids Hall of Fame Classic by defeating Hope on Saturday evening (Nov. 27) in Holland, Michigan. The Saints took a four-point lead into halftime and were able to hang on in the second half to secure the 79-75 win.
Aquinas improves its overall record to 7-4 on the season, while Hope, an NCAA DIII school out of the MIAA, saw its record drop to 3-2 on the season.
The first 20 minutes of the game saw the score be tied eight times and the lead switch hands another eight times in a tightly contested first half. The largest lead that either team held was by the Flying Dutchmen, who held an eight-point advantage with 6:41 remaining in the half. AQ went on to outscore HC 25-13 for the remaining of the period with Sammie Ryans making a three-pointer and finishing two other old fashioned three-point plays to hold a four-point lead at the half.
The second half was just the same as the first with the leading changing sides 10 different times and the score being tied five times. The teams battled back and forth with neither one holding more than a three-point advantage until Hope led by four with 10:29 remaining. The Saints briefly led by one at the 9:17 mark, but the Flying Dutchmen quickly got it back and did not relinquish it for the next six minutes. Menalito McGee finally put the Saints back ahead with 2:45 remaining, however Hope came back down the next possession to reclaim the lead. The final lead exchange came in favor of the Saints with just under two minutes remaining as Gabe Overway scored the go-ahead bucket. Two free throws by Ryans and a layup by Jesse Hillis evened up the scoring between the two teams in the second half and gave the Saints the four-point win.
Aquinas went 29-64 from the floor for a 45.3% shooting percentage, including 6-17 from three-point land and 15-22 from the free throw line. Hope finished with a 43.4% field goal percentage after going 23-53, while shooting 7-18 from downtown and 22-26 from the charity stripe.
Ryans was the Saints top scorer by finishing with 23 points on 8-18 shooting, including two three-point baskets and five free throws. He also notched six rebounds, three assists and a couple steals. Overway secured his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He went 7-13 from the field with a couple free throws and finished with six offensive rebounds and eight boards on the defensive end.
McGee was another difference maker for AQ, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Jaylen Rutherford was the fourth Saint to score double figures with 13 points, while collecting seven boards, two assists, and a block. Hillis had a team-high five steals to go along with his nine points and Tommy Gregwer made the other three points.
Aquinas held a 40-30 advantage in the rebounding department as Hope secured slight leads in assists (11-10) and steals (10-9). The Saints forced the Flying Dutchmen into 16 turnovers, while turning the ball over 15 times themselves. AQ also held advantages in points off turnovers (25-16), second chance points (23-12), and points in the paint (44-32), while HC had more bench points (17-3) and fast break points (8-6).
Sammie Ryans and Gabe Overway were named to the GRHOF All-Tournament team for their play the past two games. Ryans averaged 19 points per game on a 52% field goal percentage, 60% three-point shooting, and 90% from the free throw line, while also grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game. Overway also scored 19 points per game on a 62.5% shooting percentage and also averaged a double-double with 11 rebounds per game.
Aquinas will return to WHAC action on Wednesday (Dec. 1) as it travels to Lima, Ohio to face UNOH, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 PM.
