Grand Rapids, Mich. - The sixth annual Holiday Hoops basketball games at Aquinas started off with a wild thriller, as the Aquinas women's basketball team overcame an 18-point second half deficit to steal a 74-72 battle against visiting Lourdes on Saturday (Dec. 9). As part of an incredible performance, AQ's Alona Blackwell hit three free throws in the final 11 seconds - two of which came after a technical foul - and the Saints escaped with the two-point win.
Aquinas trailed 44-26 less than a minute into the third quarter, but outscored Lourdes 48-28 the remaining 19 minutes to snatch the victory away from the Gray Wolves. The win puts AQ at 4-6 overall and 2-3 in WHAC play, while Lourdes dips to 3-5 on the year and 2-3 in league action.
There were three lead changes in the wild final minute, as Lourdes appeared to be in control with 11 seconds remaining. The Saints had just missed a shot and the rebound was corralled by the Gray Wolves, as the team called a timeout with a 72-71 lead. Fortunately for Aquinas, Lourdes did not have any timeouts remaining and subsequently was called for a technical foul.
Standing at the free throw line by herself, Blackwell sank both free throws to put AQ ahead 73-72. Along with the free throws from the technical foul, the Saints were awarded the ball. Blackwell was fouled on the inbounds and split the two freebies for the 74-72 advantage.
On the other end, Lourdes raced down and missed a layup in the closing seconds. The Gray Wolves pulled down the offensive rebound but were unable to get another shot off before the clock hit 0.0. Aquinas had managed to escape with the 18-point come-from-behind victory.
Blackwell was outstanding, pouring in a game-high and career-high 36 points, 24 of which came in the second half. She finished 12-of-24 from the field and went 12-of-14 at the line. Blackwell added five assists, three rebounds, and two steals, while playing all 40 minutes and not committing a turnover. It is her second 30-plus point game of the year and she's reached at least 20 points in nine of AQ's 10 games.
It is the most points scored in a game by a Saint since 2005. The last Aquinas players to reach 36 points or more in a game are Whitney Marsh (Dec. 27, 2005 against St. Vincent) and Kris Sneider (Jan. 7, 1993 against Madonna), who each tallied 36 points to match Blackwell's effort on Saturday. It is tied for the fourth-highest scoring performance in AQ women's basketball history.
Ciara Hardy and Paige Guernsey joined Blackwell in double-digits. Hardy went 6-for-6 from the field and recorded 14 points and four boards. Guernsey totaled 10 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Hannah Outlaw contributed eight points and three rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
Lourdes was in control early with a 21-10 lead after the first quarter, making a three-pointer right before the buzzer. The Gray Wolves did the same thing in the second quarter, nailing two triples in the final 30 seconds, with the second trifecta coming at the halftime buzzer. AQ trailed 41-26 going into the locker room.
In the opening 20 minutes, Lourdes shot 48.6 percent from the field and made 7-of-18 three-pointers. AQ struggled at 32.4 percent and just 1-for-10 from downtown.
The Gray Wolves went in front with another three-pointer at the 9:18 mark of the third quarter to open a game-high 18-point lead at 44-26. From there, Aquinas began to chip away. Buckets from Outlaw and Jenna Daschke pulled the Saints within single-digits at 54-46. In the closing 70 seconds of the third quarter, Brynn Reams sank a jumper, Blackwell made a layup, and Outlaw scored a fast break layup to make it a 58-54 score heading into the fourth quarter.
AQ outscored Lourdes 28-17 in the third frame. That would continue into the fourth quarter, as the Saints completed the comeback and tied the score at 64-64 with 4:13 remaining after buckets from Guernsey and Blackwell. Lourdes was in front 70-68 with 53 seconds left before Blackwell converted an old-fashioned three-point play, sinking the shot and making the free throw.
The 71-70 edge was short lived, as Lourdes hit a jumper on the other end with 27 seconds left for the 72-71 lead. What followed was the missed Aquinas shot, the Lourdes rebound, the technical foul, and Blackwell's three winning free throws.
Aquinas ended up shooting 43.8 percent from the field thanks to the strong second half. The Saints shot 16-of-23 at the line, while Lourdes managed just a 5-for-8 effort at the stripe. AQ also committed a season-low five turnovers and outscored the Gray Wolves in the paint, 42-26.
The Saints need some time to recuperate after that wild battle. They'll return to the court next Saturday (Dec. 16) at home against Lawrence Tech with a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.
