Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Aquinas men's basketball team returned home on Friday evening (Nov. 22) for a conference bout against the UNOH Racers. AQ lit up the scoreboard in both halves, resulting in a commanding 87-77 victory in which the scoreboard was much closer than the game really was. Caden Pokorzynski led the charge on both sides of the floor, leading both teams in points (23) and rebounds (17) for a monster game.

The win keeps the early-season momentum rolling for AQ as it is now 4-2 this season with a perfect 2-0 conference record.

Aquinas 87, UNOH 77

The game started close, but a pair of threes from Jadakiss Lewis and a layup from Devon Boyd gave Aquinas a seven-point lead six minutes into the game. However, the Racers responded with two threes of their own to cut the deficit back down to just a point.

AQ managed to hold a slim lead throughout much of the first half until a couple of Racer threes allowed the visitors to reclaim the lead late in the half. A series of buckets from Menalito McGee allowed AQ to take the lead back at the end of the first 20 minutes, as a McGee three with just 15 seconds left put AQ up 42-37. McGee scored the final seven points of the half for the Saints.

McGee led the Saints with 12 points in the first half, followed by Lewis with 11.

Devon Boyd set the tone right off the bat in the second half with a three. AQ began to build upon its lead with a couple more threes, but the Racers marched back with just over 10 minutes to play, cutting the deficit to just four.

That would be the closest that UNOH would get to Aquinas as the Saints went on a 9-0 run to set up a double-digit advantage. From there, Pokorzynski began to take over with the exclamation point coming with six minutes to play. Lewis tossed up a pass that the sophomore slammed down for a massive alley-oop.

Pokorzynski continued to be a menace, grabbing boards both offensively and defensively while providing a constant offensive threat in the paint. AQ rolled to a 16-point lead with just under a minute left to play. UNOH scored a couple of late baskets to cut the lead to 10, but there was never a concern of a comeback. The final score read Aquinas 87, UNOH 77.

By the Numbers

• Pokorzynski ended the game with a monster line of 23 points, 17 rebounds, one block, and two assists. He shot 8-10 from the field and 7-9 from the free throw line to cap off a career day for the sophomore.
• Lewis set a career-high for his time at Aquinas with 17 points with 3 threes.
• Boyd scored double-digits for the fifth time this season with 15 points. He also contributed a season-high eight assists.
• McGee ended the game with a season-high 14 points, reaching the double-digit mark for the fourth time this year.

Up Next

The Saints will look to keep the train rolling next Tuesday (Nov. 26) with a road contest against the Concordia Cardinals.