Adrian, Mich. – The second quarter of Saturday's (Nov. 18) WHAC opener for the Aquinas women's basketball team was the difference, as Siena Heights notched the 65-45 victory. Aquinas outscored SHU in the second half, but it was not enough to complete the comeback in the Battle of the Saints in Adrian.
It was the opening game of conference play for Aquinas, as the Saints drop to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in WHAC action. Three of Siena Heights' four games are conference contests; SHU is 2-2 overall and 2-1 in league play.
AQ outscored Siena Heights 27-19 over the final 20 minutes, but the home Saints used a decisive second quarter output to build a comfortable lead at the intermission. At 38.8 percent from the field, Aquinas actually outshot Siena Heights (35.9 percent), but the home Saints were comfortable on their own floor and buried 11 three-pointers. AQ was able to knock down just four trifectas on Saturday.
The visiting Saints' first two made shots were from beyond the arc, as
Abi Tarrant and
Ciara Hardy connected early from downtown. Aquinas led 10-7 midway through the first quarter before Siena Heights closed the quarter strong with a trio of three-pointers and took a 22-14 lead to the second stanza.
The game turned in SHU's favor over the next 10 minutes, as the home Saints showed their strength by taking a 46-18 lead into halftime.
Aquinas outscored Siena Heights 16-12 in the third quarter and again in the fourth frame by an 11-7 advantage. The visiting Saints kept SHU from scoring a single point over the final 6:17 of the contest.
Alona Blackwell posted a team-high 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. She chipped in three assists, two boards, and two steals. Hardy provided a near double-double, totaling 14 points and eight rebounds. Hardy shot 6-of-11 from the field and made a pair of three-pointers.
Paige Guernsey recorded six points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Tarrant totaled five points and five rebounds in her debut in an AQ uniform.
Brynn Reams added three points and
Jenna Daschke pulled down four rebounds.
AQ continues its three-game WHAC road swing on Tuesday (Nov. 21) at Rochester. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.