Grand Rapids, Mich. – The AQ men's basketball team faced a tough loss in tonight's (Nov. 30) game against Grand Valley State. The matchup against the Division II Lakers proved to be a challenging one, and despite their best efforts, the Saints were unable to secure a victory.

Grand Valley State 96, Aquinas 52

Grand Valley State struck first with a quick three-pointer, but AQ responded when Devon Boyd answered with a three of his own, tying the game at 3-3. The Lakers regained the lead, but Boyd's free throw and a three-pointer from Jadakiss Lewis gave the Saints their first lead of the night, 7-5. Both teams exchanged baskets in a back-and-forth first half,  until GVSU went on an 8-0 run to take a 20-14 lead. A pair of free throws from Menalito McGee and another three-pointer from Lewis pulled the Saints within one point, trailing 20-19.

The Lakers responded with a quick 9-0 run to push their lead to 37-25. AQ was able to stop the Lakers' momentum with two successful free throws from Caden Pokorzynski, bringing the score to 37-27. However, the Lakers closed out the first half strong, going on another late 9-0 run to extend their advantage to 46-27.

Boyd opened the second half for the Saints with two quick jump shots, narrowing the gap to 48-31. However, Grand Valley State responded with a 6-0 run, extending their lead to 54-31. The Lakers then built on their momentum with a dominant 13-point run, which was finally interrupted by a basket from Jacob Howard, making the score 67-34.

Terrance Jones hit a three-pointer for AQ, and David Day followed up with a layup, bringing the score to 76-39. The Saints showed some resilience as McGee and Day both nailed back-to-back three-pointers, cutting the deficit to 78-42. However, GVSU continued to control the game, and a final layup from the Lakers sealed the victory with a 98-52 finish.

By the Numbers:

• Boyd was the point leader scoring 16 points and shooting 42.9% from the field goal 

• McGee shot 100% from the free throw line following by Boyd who shot 75%

• Pokorzynski claimed seven rebounds and added two assists 

• Boyd landed the solo block of the game 

• Jones went 50% from behind the 3-point line

Up Next

Aquinas will return to their home court Wednesday (Dec. 4) to take on Rochester Christian at 7:30 p.m..