The Aquinas women's basketball team hosted Madonna in a conference showdown Tuesday night (Feb. 23) inside the Sturrus Center for the Saints' last regular season game. A huge jumpshot by Mauriya Barnes and block by Marissa Brady in the final seconds surged AQ past the Crusaders to clinch the 55-51 win. 

The Saints led the Crusaders by a 31-28 score as the teams headed into the locker room at halftime. Aquinas led the Crusaders in the third quarter as AQ held Madonna to only eight points and a 12.5% shooting percentage. The Saints had a 44-36 advantage heading into the fourth.

Aquinas tied the ball game at 51-51 with 1:15 left to go. A big steal by senior Jaylynn Williams gave AQ possession at the :39 mark. A pull-up jumper in the middle of the key by Barnes gave the Saints the 53-51 lead. As Aquinas returned to defense, Brady notched her sixth block of the night with 27 seconds left.

AQ concluded the game by shooting 2-4 from the foul line to seal the win for the Saints. The win advances Aquinas to 6-7 overall and 6-7 in WHAC play. The loss moves Madonna to 2-13 overall and 2-11 in the conference.

Brady led the Saints with her career-high 26 points. Brady also notched eight rebounds, three assists, and all six blocks for AQ. Brady tallied 16 points in the second half and was 8-10 from the charity stripe tonight. Sophomore Eliza Brown recorded eight points with a pair of three-pointers. Brown also added six rebounds and three assists.

JaKarri Alven finished with seven points and five rebounds for the Saints. Destini Lewis tallied five points and grabbed a pair of steals. Brionne Crews added five rebounds and two points while Williams recorded her clutch steal, three rebounds, three assists, and two points.

Aquinas and Madonna shared three ties and had five lead changes in tonight's contest. AQ led the Crusaders shooting 33.3% from the field as a team to 30% for Madonna. The Crusaders edged the Saints in steals (9-7) while Aquinas led in assists (15-12). Each team grabbed 40 rebounds. 

The win tonight earned Aquinas the #6 seed heading into the conference tournament. The Saints will compete in the WHAC quarterfinal game against #3 seeded Siena Heights on Thursday (Feb. 25). Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM in Adrian, Michigan.