Box Score Grand Rapids, Mich. – As the regular season winds down, every conference game carries heightened importance. For the Aquinas Men's Basketball team, Saturday's contest against Defiance had major postseason implications. With the Saints battling for positioning in the WHAC standings and the Yellow Jackets clinging to the final tournament spot, the stakes were high at the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center. In a game filled with intensity and momentum swings, Aquinas emerged victorious, edging out Defiance 74-69 in a back-and-forth battle.
A Tight Battle to the Finish
With both teams aware of what was on the line, the contest saw eight ties and 12 lead changes. After overcoming an early six-point deficit, the Saints managed to take a narrow 33-31 lead into halftime. Aquinas extended its advantage to 11 points in the second half, but Defiance refused to back down.
Trailing by nine with just under a minute left, the Yellow Jackets made a late push, cutting the deficit to one with 13 seconds remaining. However, Kaleb Mitchelson and Devon Boyd came through in the clutch, each sinking a pair of free throws to seal the victory for the Saints.
Key Stats and Contributions
Aquinas narrowly out-rebounded Defiance 37-32 and had contributions from up and down the roster, with nine Saints recording both points and rebounds. While the Yellow Jackets held a 38-26 advantage in points in the paint, Aquinas made up for it from beyond the arc, sinking seven three-pointers compared to Defiance's three.
Bench play was nearly even, with Defiance's reserves contributing 21 points to Aquinas' 19. However, the free throw line proved to be a major difference-maker, as the Saints converted 23-of-32 attempts (72%), while Defiance struggled at 10-of-18 (55.6%).
Top Performers:
Senior Day Celebration
Saturday marked the final regular-season home game for six Aquinas seniors: Chris Wright, Andrew Larson, Ryan Weir, Tommy Gregwer, Sammy Jacobs, and Chase Rumler. Head Coach Ryan Bertoia honored each of them with a framed poster signed by the entire team, commemorating their contributions to the program.
Coach's Take
Head Coach Ryan Bertoia: "We showed glimpses of what we're capable of, but our leaders made some frustrating mistakes. To their credit, they recovered and played through them. We still haven't put together a complete game where we excel on both ends of the court, but we're getting closer."
Looking Ahead
With the win, Aquinas improves to 13-13 overall and 9-10 in WHAC play, keeping an outside shot at the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament. Next, the Saints travel to Cornerstone for a crucial rivalry match-up against the Golden Eagles on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after the women's game, with live coverage provided by the AQ Network and play-by-play commentary from Joey Sutherlin.
