Mt Vernon, Ohio – The AQ men's basketball team kicked off the 2024-25 season on Friday afternoon (Nov. 8) with a neutral site contest against the Saint Mary of the Woods (SMTW) Pomeroys. The game proved to be a strong test for AQ with several regular starters from last season no longer in the lineup. AQ was very effective from long range in the first half, leading to a 32-28 lead after the initial 20 minutes.

However, the Pomeroys bounced back in the second half, outscoring AQ 45-27 to take a 73-59 victory.
 
Saint Mary of the Woods 73, Aquinas 59

SMTW held control of the game through the first couple of minutes, but Devon Boyd connected on a three and a jumper to score AQ's first five points of the game. A Boyd layup a couple of minutes later gave Aquinas its first lead as the junior scored the first seven points of the game for the Saints.

The Saints looked to stretch the court following that layup, with Ryan Weir, Jadakiss Lewis, Menalito McGee, and Jack Futa all connecting on threes. Caden Pokorzynski and Tommy Gregwer joined in on the threes to help the Saints lead 30-19 late in the first half. However, Saint Mary of the Woods made a late push to cut into the deficit before halftime, going on a 9-2 run to end the first half at 32-28.

AQ's first-half game plan saw the Saints score 7-15 shooting from three with seven different players connecting from beyond the arc. Over the first 20 minutes, Aquinas shot 45.8% from the field and 46.7% from three.

The pace of the game slowed down in the second half. AQ held onto a slim lead throughout the first half of the second half until the Pomeroys tied the contest at 45 with just under 10 minutes left to play. A 9-0 run for SMTW had the Indiana team up 50-45 just two minutes later.

Points from Kaleb Mitchelson, McGee, and Boyd managed to cut the deficit back down to just one, but a layup and a pair of free throws for the Pomeroys increased the lead to five with just over five minutes to go.

The ensuing two and a half minutes went in favor of Saint Mary, as they continued their run to a 13-2 run, establishing a 66-54 lead. AQ made a couple of shots down the final stretch, but the Pomeroys solidified the win at the final buzzer by a score of 73-59.

By the Numbers:

• Boyd led the team in scoring with 16 points.
• Lewis had a strong debut for AQ, scoring 14 points on an incredible 71.4% shooting from the field.
• McGee also cracked double-digit scoring with 11 points after shooting 4-7 from the field and 2-3 from three.
• Overall, Saint Mary of the Woods held the advantage in field goal percentage (44.2-38.3), free throws (25-14), and rebounds (36-27).
• Aquinas was more efficient from the free throw line (87.5%) and scored more threes (9-2).

Up Next

The Saints return to the hardwood tomorrow (Nov. 9) to take on Trinity Christian. That game is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.