Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Saints returned to home action tonight (Jan. 7) to take on crosstown rival (RV) Cornerstone University. In an absolute thriller, Aquinas got the best of the Golden Eagles, winning 76-74. The Saints broke a 10-game win streak that the Golden Eagles held over AQ. Aquinas' last win over Cornerstone came on February 15th of 2017.
The Saints stopped a three-game skid with the win tonight, improving to 7-9 on the season with a 4-6 conference record. Cornerstone falls to 12-5 with a 6-3 WHAC record.
Aquinas ripped out to a hot start as
Tommy Gregwer started the game with a three-pointer.
Devon Boyd then took over the game, scoring a bucket from beyond the arc, a layup, and another three ball to score eight in quick succession.
Donovan Brown-Boyd proceeded to get in on the three-point action, scoring one of his own to give AQ a quick 14-4 lead early in the first half.
Gregwer got back on the scoresheet with yet another three pointer, giving Aquinas five three pointers just five minutes into the game. The visiting Cornerstone side took advantage of the media timeout and slowed down the pace of the game. The slower pace led to a small run as the Golden Eagles began to erase the AQ lead. With 9:49 left on the clock, the game was tied at 20 after a 12-3 run.
Jared Dugener and
Gabe Overway answered the CU run and put the Saints back in the driver's seat with a 6-0 run of their own. However, the Golden Eagles quickly responded with a pair of threes to tie the game back up at 26. Another 6-0 run from Aquinas would, once again, give AQ a slim advantage with just over six and a half minutes to play.
The two sides went on to trade fouls and free throws with Aquinas holding a small one possession lead. Boyd extended the lead to five points as he scored his twelfth point of the first half, tying his career high that he set earlier this season against Governors State. Cornerstone scored the last bucket of the half with 34 seconds remaining on the clock, but it would be the Saints the entered halftime with a 40-36 lead against their rivals.
The pace of the game slowed way down entering the second half. Aquinas held a slim 50-49 lead after eight minutes in the second half. A couple minutes later, Cornerstone managed to take its first lead of the game after a three-point-play gave them a 52-50 lead. The two sides traded a pair of quick three-pointers as CU held a two-point advantage with just under 10 minutes to play.
A three-point bucket from Gregwer reinstated the Aquinas lead with the score at 61-59. The two sides continued to trade buckets and CU appeared to take the momentum with a huge dunk from Carter Nyp. However,
Menalito McGee instantly responded with a three-point dagger to take some momentum back.
With 2:49 left on the clock, McGee did it again, scoring another three-pointer to take a 72-67 advantage. A good defensive possession followed by a pair of free throws from McGee gave AQ a late three possession lead as McGee took over the game late. However, three free throws from Nyp and a layup from Cory Ainsworth erased the Aquinas advantage to just two points with 49 seconds to play.
Solid defense from the Saints resulted in a series of free throw attempts, allowing AQ to build its lead to four points with the score at 76-72. With just eight seconds left on the clock, Nyp went for another dunk in an attempt to get the Golden Eagles within one possession. However, Overway had other plans and completely stuffed Nyp at the rim. That play effectively won the game for the Saints. CU managed to score a late layup with one second left on the clock, but Aquinas walked off the court with a 76-74 victory.
Brown-Boyd's impressive rookie season continued as he led the way in scoring with 16 points this game. He shot 5-9 from the field and 3-5 from the free throw line. He also picked up six boards and an assist in the win. So far this season, Brown-Boyd is averaging 12.4 points per game.
Overway nearly picked up a double-double tonight with 15 points and nine rebounds. He shot 5-12 from the field and provided an assist, a steal, and two blocks.
Boyd finished the game with a career-high 13 points thanks to 4-5 shooting from the field and 3-4 shooting from the charity stripe. He had a team-high four assists along with three rebounds and a team-leading three steals.
As a team, Aquinas held the advantage over Cornerstone in field goal percentage (42.4-41.3), three-point percentage (44.4-24), assists (15-10), steals (7-4), blocks (7-1), and turnovers (7-12). CU shot slightly better from the free throw line (57.1-53.8) and outrebounded the Saints (50-37).
A home matchup against Madonna is next on the schedule as the Saints are set to take on the Crusaders on Wednesday (Jan. 11) at 7:30 PM inside of the Sturrus Center.
