Grand Rapids, Mich. – The AQ men's basketball squad returned to Coach Bo Court tonight (Jan. 17) to battle against the (RV) Madonna Crusaders. AQ kept pace with the visitors in the game that went down to the wire. With the score at 78-79 with five seconds left on the clock, Aquinas had an opportunity to drive down the court and score. However, Madonna defended it well and snuck out of the Sturrus Center with its 10th conference win.

AQ falls to 9-8 on the season with a 6-5 conference record. Madonna improves to 10-1 in WHAC play and 14-3 overall on the year.

Madonna 79, Aquinas 78

The Crusaders started the game hot, scoring nearly every shot for a 27-9 advantage through the first ten minutes of play. Jared Lary ended the 14-0 run with a three and began to build the momentum that the Saints needed to get back into the game. Donovan Brown-Boyd, Kaleb Mitchelson, and Tommy Gregwer combined for an 8-0 run to put AQ within six points with 5:45 left on the clock.

Madonna rebuilt its lead back into double-digits following the Aquinas run. However, once again, AQ managed to generate another 8-0 run after an Andrew Larson three, a jumper from Brown-Boyd, and a three from Brown-Boyd to end the half. After trailing by as much as 18, AQ reduced the deficit to just three at the halftime buzzer.

Larson kicked off the second half with a pair of jumpers to take its first lead of the game. Another Brown-Boyd three grew AQ's lead to five, but Madonna rallied and eventually generated a 10-point lead with just seven minutes left to play. Larson responded with a much-needed three and then Brown-Boyd scored two more threes to give Aquinas the lead back.

The back-and-forth matchup continued as MU swished a three of its own to retake the lead. After Madonna tallied on another two points, Devon Boyd hit a clutch three to tie the game at 74 with just over a minute to go. On the ensuing possession, Issac Anderson drove to the hoop and drew a foul to take a two-point advantage. Larson missed his three to retake the lead and Madonna managed to go back to the line with an opportunity to take a two-possession lead.

Matthew Maclellan made his first free throw, but missed the second to keep the game at one possession. The two teams traded free throws on the next three possessions to put the game within one point. With 5.7 second remaining, Madonna missed both of its free throws with the pressure on to give AQ a chance to win it. Boyd drove the ball down the court and got the ball to Brown-Boyd beyond the arc with the clock expiring. Strong defense from Madonna forced Brown-Boyd to take a contested three and the ball fell just short to end the game 79-78.

By the Numbers

AQ held a large advantage in points off turnovers (24-8), free throw percentage (85.7%-78.9%), assists (18-11), and had fewer turnovers (5-15).

Madonna shot better from the field (52%-36.1%), had more rebounds (41-33), and bench points (17-13).

Brown-Boyd led both teams in scoring with 25 points on 9-18 shooting from the field and 6-12 shooting from three. He also had four boards, a block, and two steals.

Larson scored three threes on his way to 18 points in the game. He tallied five rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal for a busy night.

Up Next

Aquinas is back at home this Saturday (Jan. 20) with a conference matchup against Siena Heights. The game is slated to begin around 3:00 p.m. following the women's game.