Livonia, Mich. – The Aquinas women's basketball team had a great day today (Feb. 17) as the Saints ripped off their fourth consecutive win to keep their end-of-the-season resurgence alive. AQ decimated Madonna earlier this season with a 47-point victory at home and proceeded to complete the sweep today with a 22-point road win.

Additionally, Alona Blackwell's historic season is now officially written into the record books. Just over a minute into the second quarter, Blackwell scored a nice cutting layup to break the all-time single-season scoring record held by Joslyn Narber. After today, Blackwell stands alone with 670 points this season.

Aquinas is now 9-11 in conference play and trails Lawrence Tech by just half a game with two regular season games remaining. The loss today effectively eliminates Madonna from playoff contention.

Aquinas 90, Madonna 68

Blackwell scored the first points of the game as AQ raced out to a quick 9-0 lead just a couple of minutes into the game. Madonna raced back and took a 12-11 lead after scoring three consecutive threes to set the foundation for a high-scoring contest. Blackwell went on a run at the end of the quarter to finish the first 10 minutes of play with 10 points and a six-point lead for the Saints.

Brynn Reams and Ciara Hardy scored the first four points of the second quarter for AQ. Then, with 8:31 left on the clock, Blackwell knocked down a layup after a nice cut to the basket to break AQ's 14-year record for the most points in a single season.

Maddie Sermak connected for a three on the ensuing play as AQ rolled to a 13-point advantage. However, over the next seven minutes, Madonna slowly cut down the Saints' lead to just four points with 40 seconds to go. Claire Gregwer responded to stop the run and Jenna Daschke scored a layup with just seconds left to swing the momentum back towards Aquinas.

The second half was all Aquinas as the Crusaders had no answer for the Aquinas offense. AQ outscored and outrebounded Madonna throughout the third quarter and extended its lead to as many points as 19 following a layup from Blackwell.

As the game progressed to the fourth quarter, the game became more balanced between the two sides. However, Madonna was unable to cut into the 20-point deficit at any point in the quarter. AQ led by 23 at one point in the final quarter after an Emilynne Braue free throw, but the Saints settled at a 22-point victory once everything was settled.

By the Numbers

Aquinas' dominant showing was highlighted by 52 points in the paint, 31 points off the bench, and 19 second-chance points. The Saints shot better from the field (49.3%-35.1%) and nearly doubled Madonna's rebounds (48-27).

Blackwell's record-breaking day finished with 24 points, two rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.

Gregwer and Hardy both recorded double-doubles in the win. Gregwer had 16 points and 11 boards on 7-13 shooting while Hardy had 14 points and 12 rebounds on 4-5 shooting from the field.

Up Next

Aquinas returns home next Wednesday (Feb. 21) to play its last home contest of the season. The Saints will battle it out against crosstown rival, Cornerstone University, at 5:30 p.m.