Sylvania, Ohio – The Aquinas men's basketball team took to the road today (Jan. 27) to take on the No. 10-ranked team in the nation, Lourdes. AQ was coming off an impressive home victory against Rochester this past Wednesday and was looking to carry that momentum on the road today. However, a seasoned and talented Lourdes side took an early lead and never looked back. The contest ended 96-76 in favor of the national contenders.

This result puts AQ back at .500 with a 10-10 overall record and a 7-7 conference record. Lourdes improved to an impressive 17-1 record that features a 13-1 record in conference play.

Lourdes 96, Aquinas 76

The top team in the WHAC converted a three-point play and then nailed a three to set the tone for the remainder of the game. Lourdes reached a quick double-digit lead five minutes into the competition, but threes from Jared Lary and Devon Boyd nearly evaporated the lead in just a couple of possessions. The experienced Lourdes side rapidly rebounded and reclaimed its double-digit lead and maintained that throughout the entirety of the first half.

Andrew Larson nailed a three with the first-half clock expiring, but the Gray Wolves high-octane offense had the home side ahead 46-32 at the first-half break.

Donovan Brown-Boyd, Lary, Larson, and Boyd provided all of the scoring for the Saints in the first 20 minutes of the contest. The four combined for all 32 of AQ's points.

The hosts established the same tone in the second half and continued to grow its advantage. Lourdes led by as many as 28 in the second half. Freshman Jacob Howard proved a spark off the bench in the closing minutes of the game. He came into the contest with three minutes to go and drained three of four shots from beyond the arc before the clock hit zeros for a 96-76 victory for Lourdes.

By the Numbers

The Saints provided a bit more impact from the bench than Lourdes did, leading 30-24 in bench points scored. Lourdes held a strong advantage in points off turnovers (15-5), second-chance points (18-3), and points in the paint (56-20).

Despite the result, Aquinas shot very well this afternoon. AQ converted at a rate of 49.1% from the field and 59.1% from three. The No. 10-ranked team from Ohio managed to shoot just a bit better than AQ while out-rebounding Aquinas 39-20.

Brown-Boyd led the team in scoring with 16 points after scoring all eight of his free throw attempts. He paired his scoring with one rebound, one assist, and one steal.

Larson was efficient today, scoring on six of his nine field goal attempts for 13 points while grabbing seven boards and a steal.

Lary matched that efficiency, shooting 5-8 and scoring his lone three attempt for 11 points.

Up Next

The Saints will be looking to bounce back on Wednesday (Jan. 31) with a trip to Southfield, Michigan. AQ's date with Lawrence Tech is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.