University Park, Ill. - The Aquinas women's basketball team overcame a 16-point deficit in Saturday's (Nov. 4) road contest at Governors State, but the Jaguars prevailed in the final 90 seconds by a 68-65 score. AQ outscored the Jaguars by nine points in the second half, but GSU's strong first half was enough to down the Saints.

Despite the loss, two Aquinas players shined offensively. Alona Blackwell and Ciara Hardy combined for 53 points on 23-of-33 shooting. Blackwell posted a game-high and season-best 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting. She made a pair of three-pointers and added four rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

The last 30-point game by a Saint came on Feb. 18, 2019, when Hannah Brefeld dropped in 31 points in a home win against Lawrence Tech. Blackwell has now scored 20, 27, and 31 points in her three games as a Saint.

Hardy made 10-of-13 field goals and recorded 22 points, seven rebounds, and three steals to give AQ two 20-plus point scorers in the game. Overall, Aquinas shot 50.9 percent from the field and made 4-of-10 three-point attempts. AQ's achilles heel was its 5-of-15 shooting at the charity stripe.

A high-scoring first quarter saw GSU take a 24-17 lead after 10 minutes of fast-paced action. Blackwell (13) and Hardy (four) combined for all of the Saints' points in the opening quarter. Governors State took a 35-23 advantage to halftime and led by as many as 16 points early in the third quarter.

A three-pointer and a layup from Jenna Daschke late in the third quarter were followed by a layup from Hardy to bring AQ within a bucket at 46-43. GSU would lead 48-43 heading to the fourth.

The Jaguars owned a 59-53 cushion with 4:30 to play, but Blackwell buried a three-pointer and Hardy scored on back-to-back buckets to put Aquinas ahead 60-59, erasing the previous 16-point deficit. Governors State responded with a pair of baskets to regain a 63-60 edge with just over a minute remaining.

Blackwell converted a layup with 56 ticks to go, making it a 63-62 contest, but that is as close as the Saints would get. The Jaguars scored a layup and hit 3-of-4 free throws in the closing 30 seconds to seal the game.

Daschke recorded five points and a pair of boards in just 15 minutes. Paige Guernsey totaled six rebounds and four points, while Alexis Thomas pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and chipped in three points and a pair of assists. 

AQ returns to the Sturrus Center for a 7:00 pm matchup with Great Lakes Christian on Tuesday night (Nov. 7) before an 11-day break. The Saints' next contest will be the WHAC opener at Siena Heights on Saturday, Nov. 18.