The Aquinas women's basketball team fell in a non-conference road game at Hope College on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 4) by a 78-51 score. The top-ranked Flying Dutchmen used strong second and third quarters to pull away and earn the win in Holland over the Saints.
 
AQ had won three of four games entering Saturday's matchup with Hope; the loss dips Aquinas to 8-5 on the season. Hope, the #1 nationally ranked team in Division III, remains unbeaten at 7-0 this year.
 
Aquinas kept pace with the Flying Dutchmen, trailing 18-14 after the first quarter. Hope used a strong 21-11 edge in the second quarter to open a 39-25 halftime advantage. The Saints were unable to get any closer than that 14-point cushion in the second half, as Hope closed out the victory with a big 25-point third quarter.
 
Marissa Brady posted her seventh double-double with a game-high 14 rebounds and a team-best 12 points. She went 6-for-8 from the field and added two steals. Daz'Sha Day tallied eight points, two boards, two assists, and two steals. Mauriya Barnes also added eight points.
 
Eliza Brown chipped in seven points, while Brionne Crews recorded six points and five rebounds. AQ scored 22 points in the paint and notched 24 bench points.
 
The Saints shot 37.5 percent from the field and went 7-of-10 at the charity stripe. Hope connected on 39.7 percent of its field goals and made 7-of-25 three-point tries. The home Dutchmen made 13-of-16 free throws and held a 47-36 rebounding advantage. 
 
Aquinas returns to conference play tomorrow afternoon inside the Sturrus Center. The Saints host Concordia in a 1:00 p.m. matchup.