The Aquinas women's basketball team scored the first 13 points in Friday's (Nov. 4) home victory over Great Lakes Christian at the Sturrus Center. AQ led 31-10 at halftime and cruised to a 61-41 non-conference triumph over the Crusaders in the team's second home win in as many tries to begin the 2022-23 season.
 
Aquinas (2-0) led by as many as 31 points on Friday night in a total team effort. 18 players saw the floor for the Saints, while 13 different AQ players notched points in the scoring column. Scoring was extremely balanced, as just one of the 13 Saints that scored reaching double-digits; senior guard Brighton Miller posted a team-high 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from three-point range.
 
The Saints competed at Western Michigan on Thursday night (Nov. 3) in an exhibition game and also play on Saturday against IU-Northwest for the third time in three days. Minutes were evenly balanced on Friday against the Crusaders; all five starters played between 12 and 16 minutes, while all 13 bench players logged at least five minutes apiece.
 
Eliza Brown tallied nine points, four rebounds, and two blocks, while JaKarri Alven neared a double-double of eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Emily Cline and Brionne Crews each grabbed eight rebounds, while Delaney Bailey pulled down six rebounds in just nine minutes. Bailey added five points, while Mauriya Barnes posted seven points, four boards, and four assists. 
 
AQ scored the game's first 13 points and led 17-5 after the first 10 minutes of play. The Saints outscored Great Lakes Christian 14-5 in the second quarter to open the 31-10 halftime advantage. 
 
While the Crusaders (0-3) owned a 31-30 edge in second half scoring, Aquinas led by 31 points (49-18) with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter. 
 
The Saints shot 30.1 percent from the field and made seven three-pointers. Aquinas recorded 68 rebounds (including 25 on offense), finishing the game with a 22-6 edge in second chance points. AQ led in bench points 30-2, with eight reserves tallying at least a bucket apiece.
 
Great Lakes Christian shot only 21.9 percent from the field and committed 18 turnovers in the loss. The Saints recorded 19 assists on 25 made shots on Friday.
 
Saturday's game against the Redhawks is a 3:00 p.m. tipoff in the Sturrus Center. IU-Northwest will bring a 1-0 record to the non-conference contest.