Grand Rapids, Mich. - The Aquinas men's basketball team totaled a 54-point second half on Saturday (Dec. 16) and turned a 31-31 halftime deadlock into an 85-76 home victory over Lawrence Tech in the Sturrus Center. Five AQ players scored 11 or more points in the win, which went from an 11-point Aquinas deficit into an eventual 13-point Saints advantage.
AQ was on fire in the second half, shooting exactly 63.6 percent from both the field and beyond three-point range, making 7-of-11 triple tries over the final 20 minutes. Overall, the Saints shot 11-of-23 from downtown for a terrific 47.8 percent from long range. While LTU also made 11 three-pointers, it did so on 32 attempts. The Blue Devils shot just 39.3 percent overall.
Aquinas moves to 6-4 on the year and 3-3 in league play, while Lawrence Tech drops to 6-6 overall and 3-4 in the conference. The Saints dominated on the glass (39-23) and in the paint (42-24).
Donovan Brown-Boyd fired from long range, making 6-of-9 three-pointers and scoring a game-high 21 points. He went 7-of-12 overall from the field and blocked two shots. Andrew Larson again filled out the stat sheet with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while adding seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Devon Boyd supplied 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while shooting 7-of-13 from the floor. Jared Lary provided 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench, making 3-of-4 trifectas. DeAndre Francis filled out the five Saints in double-digits, posting 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds, four coming on the offensive glass. He was 5-of-8 shooting.
AQ raced out to a 9-2 lead on five points from Larson and four more from Boyd. Lawrence Tech tied the score at 9-9 and eventually built a 24-13 lead at the 7:24 mark. Brown-Boyd scored 12 consecutive Aquinas points (a trio of three-pointers, and an 'and-one' three-point play) to bring AQ within four at 29-25.
Trailing 31-25 with 2:57 remaining, the Saints scored the final six points of the half. Larson hit two freebies, Boyd scored on a layup, and also added a fastbreak layup for the final points of the opening 20 minutes. It was a 31-31 ballgame despite LTU's early 11-point cushion.
Aquinas led 48-46 at the 13:37 mark when Brown-Boyd sandwiched a pair of three-pointers around a Lary trifecta for a quick 9-0 run in just over 7-0 seconds. The lead quickly swelled to 57-46. Lary hit two more three-pointers, the latter of which kept Aquinas in front 70-60 with 6:41 to play.
The Saints held a few 13-point advantages, the first coming on a Boyd old-fashioned three-point play and a Francis dunk off a Boyd assist. Kaleb Mitchelson's free throws in the final minute capped the AQ comeback and the strong 85-point outing.
Aquinas shot 52.5 percent from the field and limited LTU to just six offensive rebounds and only three second chance points.
AQ heads down south to play a pair of games in Florida on Monday and Tuesday (Dec. 18-19) evenings. The Saints face Warner and Webber International in the team's final games prior to Christmas.
