Grand Rapids, Mich. — The Aquinas men's basketball team opened the New Year with a hard-fought victory over the Grace Christian Tigers (GCU). In a back-and-forth contest, AQ managed to seize control late, securing a five-point win and improving their record to 7-6 overall and 3-3 in conference play. 

Aquinas 71, Grace Christian 66

The Tigers struck first with a quick 3-0 lead, but the Saints quickly answered with a 7-0 run. Jack Futa started the rally with a free throw, followed by back-to-back jumpers from Jadakiss Lewis and a jumper from Kaleb Mitchelson, giving AQ a 7-3 advantage. Futa added another jumper, but a three-pointer from Grace Christian brought the score within one at 9-8. Caden Pokorzynski then hit a jumper, but four straight points from the Tigers gave them a brief 13-10 lead. David Day responded with a three-pointer to tie the game, but GCU regained the lead with five more points, making it 18-13. Terrance Jones hit a three, and Samuel Mendendorp added a jumper to tie the game at 18-18. The teams continued to trade points, but GCU closed out the first half with a two-point lead, 38-36.

The Saints came out strong in the second half, with Futa and Mitchelson combining for three points to take a 39-38 lead. Mitchelson added another jumper, and Futa hit a free throw, but Grace Christian quickly tied it up at 44-44. The game remained tight, with both teams trading leads until it was knotted at 51-51. Then, the Saints made their move, going on a 9-0 run to take a 62-55 lead. Lewis hit a three-pointer to extend AQ's lead to 67-59. Despite a late push from the Tigers, two free throws from Day sealed the victory for Aquinas, 71-66.

By the Numbers 

• Lewis was the point leader claiming 22 while adding three assists and two rebounds

• Futa lead the Saints in rebounds claiming 10 

• Pokorzynski added 15 points and six rebounds 

• The Saints claimed 10 points off of offensive rebounds 
   

Up Next 

The Saints will be back on the road to take on Indiana Tech on Saturday (Jan. 4) at 3:00 p.m.