The Aquinas men's basketball team dropped a 75-65 Senior Day final on Saturday (Feb. 12) in the Sturrus Center to Siena Heights. A big first half for SHU put the visitors in front 39-25 at halftime and the home Saints were only able to pull as close as eight points over the final 20 minutes.
 
Saturday's result snaps a two-game winning streak for AQ, as the home Saints drop to 15-13 overall and 9-10 in WHAC play. Siena Heights improves to 7-19 on the season and 4-14 in league action. 
 
On a Senior Day where three players were celebrated prior to the game, senior Jesse Hillis was the team's leading scorer with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting and 5-of-6 free throws. He added four assists and two steals in 29 minutes. Jaylen Rutherford totaled 13 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists, while making 2-of-4 triple tries.
 
Senior Sammie Ryans added seven points and Menalito McGee chipped in seven points off the bench. Justin Lary totaled a team-high seven rebounds, six points, two blocks, and two steals on Senior Day, while Gabe Overway pitched in six points and four boards.
 
Siena Heights shot 47.4 percent from the field, while AQ connected on 39.3 percent of its attempts. Each team made five three-pointers and were nearly identical (SHU: 16-20, AQ: 16-21) at the free throw line. Siena Heights won the rebounding battle by a 40-31 count.
 
The visitors scored the game's first six points before an Overway jumper and a three-pointer from Ryans made it 6-5. Near the midway point of the first half, Siena Heights had extended its lead to 21-9. Trevor Ballard tallied an old-fashioned three-point play, Overway scored on a layup, and McGee hit a three-pointer to make it a 21-17 score at the 8:48 mark.
 
Siena Heights closed out the first half on an 18-8 run to bring a 39-25 lead into the locker room at halftime. The visiting Saints led by double-digits for a majority of the second half and closed out the road win.
 
AQ held a 21-17 advantage in points off turnovers, while SHU was in front in points in the paint (42-32) and second chance points (13-4). Aquinas committed 12 turnovers and forced 15 miscues by Siena Heights.
 
Next Wednesday (Feb. 16), AQ closes out the regular season with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff against Rochester. The 2022 WHAC Tournament begins the following Wednesday (Feb. 23).