The Aquinas men's basketball team moved to 5-2 in non-conference action after taking down William Woods on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 11) in Sturrus Center. The Saints' defense held the Owls to 30% shooting in the game that helped propel them to a 69-56 win.
Aquinas improves its overall record to 9-5 on the season, while William Woods, an NAIA school out of the American Midwest Conference, now has a record of 5-8 on the year.
The first half was a defensive battle as the first bucket scored by the Owls did not go through the basket until the 17:01 minute mark. WWU grew its lead up to six, but an 11-0 run by the Saints put them ahead by four with 10:27 remaining. The lead switched a couple more times until AQ grabbed it at the 3:41 mark and did not look back as it was the last time the lead would switch. The Saints ended the half on a 10-2 run and gave them a six-point lead heading into break.
After the score read 26-20 at halftime, the offense for both teams came alive in the second half. The Owls were able to whittle the AQ lead down to one with 11:18 remaining, but then the three-point shot became that Saints' best weapon. Aquinas kept constant offensive and defensive pressure on William Woods and eventually the lead grew back out to double-digits at the 4:52 mark. The lead grew to as much as 14 as the Saints took the non-conference match-up by a 69-56 score.
Aquinas shot the ball at a 42.6% clip after making 26-61 baskets, including 6-21 from downtown and 11-15 from the charity stripe. AQ held William Woods to 17-55 from the floor for a 30.9% shooting percentage, including 8-26 from three-point land and 14-18 from the free throw line.
Gabe Overway added another double-double to his season total by scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He shot 10-16 from the field and a perfect 5-5 at the free throw line, while also adding three assists and a block. Jesse Hillis came off the bench to be the second leading scorer at 17 points by going 7-14 from the floor and 3-5 from downtown. Hillis also had three assists and a couple steals. Sammie Ryans was the third AQ player in double figures by scoring 10, while collecting four boards and two assists.
Justin Lary also almost had a double-double after finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds. Menalito McGee had seven points, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Even though he did not score, Malik Jones was the leading distributor, finishing with four assists.
Aquinas had more rebounds (42-36) and assists (20-11), while William Woods collected more blocks (5-1) and steals (7-3). The Saints forced the Owls into 11 turnovers, while turning the ball over nine times themselves. AQ also held advantages in points in the paint (28-14), second chance points (10-5), and fast break points (4-0), while WWU won the points off turnovers battle 11-10.
Aquinas will play in an exhibition game against Western Michigan on Friday (Dec. 17) before taking 12 days off for winter break, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 PM in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
