Grand Rapids, Mich. - The Aquinas women's basketball team led wire-to-wire on Wednesday evening (Jan. 11) inside the Sturrus Center, holding off a late run to finish off Madonna, 49-44. AQ used advantages in the first and third quarters to build a 15-point fourth quarter cushion and capture the home victory.
 
Winners of three of their last four games at home, the Saints scored less than a minute into the game, built a 6-0 lead, and led for all 40 minutes. Aquinas improves to 8-9 overall and 4-7 in WHAC play. Madonna falls to 1-15 on the season; the Crusaders are 0-11 in league action.
 
Both teams played strong defensively, prompting tough offensive outputs in the low-scoring affair. Neither team topped 30 percent shooting from the field and the teams combined to shoot just 6-for-42 from three-point range. A big advantage for AQ came on points off turnovers; the Saints outscored Madonna 17-3 in that category. Aquinas committed just eight miscues, while MU was forced into 14 turnovers.
 
Mauriya Barnes was the lone Saint to reach double-digits, as she scored 11 points in 19 minutes on 4-for-9 shooting. Paige Guernsey notched seven points, six rebounds, and four assists off the bench, where AQ held a 23-15 scoring advantage.
 
Barnes scored the first four points of the game on a jumper and two free throws and the lead was 6-0 after a Brionne Crews jumper. AQ extended to a 12-5 advantage on a Barnes layup in the closing seconds of the first quarter. 
 
A Brynn Reams jumper made it 16-5 for the largest lead of the opening half, with 8:19 to play in the second quarter. Madonna outscored Aquinas 13-12 in the second 10 minutes, but the Saints took a 24-18 edge to halftime thanks to a late three-point play from Guernsey.
 
Madonna used a quick run early in the third quarter to tie the score at 24-all, but AQ would score the final nine points of the quarter: a Guernsey layup, a jumper from JaKarri Alven, a three-pointer from Barnes, and a layup from Emily Cline right before the third quarter buzzer. It was 37-27 heading into the fourth frame.
 
A Brighton Miller trifecta gave AQ the 42-27 cushion with 7:45 remaining, the largest advantage of the game for the Saints. Madonna pulled within five points in the closing minutes, but it wasn't enough as Aquinas moved to 6-5 at home on the year.
 
Alven totaled eight rebounds, six points, two assists, and two steals in a busy 23 minutes on the floor. Reams totaled six points and two boards in only seven minutes off the bench, making 2-of-3 field goals. Cline grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds (four offensive) and added four points and three assists. Alexis Thomas dished our four assists and Miller scored five points.
 
Aquinas heads to Adrian on Saturday (Jan. 14) for a 1:00 p.m. Battle of the Saints showdown with Siena Heights.