Grand Rapids, Mich. - The Aquinas men's basketball team held off a pesky Great Lakes Christian squad on Tuesday night (Nov. 14) inside the Sturrus Center. AQ led for the final 38 minutes of the game and had enough firepower to take down the Crusaders by a 76-69 final score.

After 14 Saints scored in Saturday's 101-80 triumph over Governors State, Aquinas was more top-heavy on Tuesday night. Four AQ players - Jared Lary, DeAndre Francis, Andrew Larson, and Devon Boyd - combined for 56 points, as each player notched at least 12 points. The win puts AQ at 2-1 on the season, as the team opens WHAC play this weekend.

Aquinas shot 47.6 percent from the floor and made 7-of-24 three-pointers. The Saints were dominant in the paint to the tune of a 42-18 scoring advantage in the painted area. Great Lakes Christian (1-3) committed 15 turnovers, to which AQ converted into 23 points. 

The Saints also scored 34 bench points, half of which came from Jared Lary. He tallied a team-high 17 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists, while making a trio of three-pointers. DeAndre Francis made 6-of-10 field goals and totaled 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Andrew Larson provided a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. He was 6-of-12 shooting and added three steals and two blocks. The last Saint in double-digits was Devon Boyd, who provided 12 points and five assists.

Aquinas jumped in front 17-6 after just four minutes, which featured three-pointers from Lary and Ryan Weir and a huge dunk from Lary. Great Lakes Christian chipped away at the deficit and made it a 32-31 score with 3:28 to go in the half before a Lary three-pointer extended AQ's lead. 

Trifectas from Lary and Boyd in the closing 80 seconds of the half would help send the Saints to the locker room in front, 43-35. Six of Aquinas' seven three-pointers in the game came in the opening 20 minutes.

The lead swelled to a game-high 12 points at 47-35 just 37 seconds into the second half, when Francis converted back-to-back layups. Great Lakes Christian responded to make it a 58-56 score with 10:47 to go in the game. The score stayed close at 68-63 with 4:10 remaining before Samuel Medendorp scored on a layup and Larson threw down an emphatic dunk to give AQ a comfortable 72-63 advantage at the 2:49 mark.

GLC could not pull closer than five points the rest of the game. The Crusaders shot 44.1 percent from the field and also made seven three-pointers.

Medendorp added eight points and four rebounds, while Tommy Gregwer connected for seven points. 

Aquinas is on the road to open up WHAC play, with two road contests in a four-day span. This Saturday (Nov. 18), AQ heads to Siena Heights in a 3 p.m. Battle of the Saints. Next Tuesday, the Saints face Rochester in a 7:30 pm start on the road.