GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The AQ men's basketball squad returned to the court this afternoon (Dec. 28) to take on the visiting Governors State Jaguars. This is the first time that AQ has played an NAIA game since December 10th. A massive 24-2 run to end the first half gave AQ a commanding 40-24 lead entering halftime. GSU never managed to regain a foothold in the game as the Saints pulled away with a massive 87-61 victory. The 26-point victory was the largest margin that AQ has won by since beating Roosevelt 67-40 back on November 6th of 2019.
Aquinas improves to 6-7 on the season after besting the Jaguars. Governors State falls to 4-12 on the season after the result.
AQ jumped out to a hot start as Menalito McGee and Devon Boyd both nailed three-pointers during the Saint's first two possessions. Afterwards, both teams settled in with the visiting side slowly picking up some momentum. Governors State took its first lead of the game just four minutes into the game after a jumper gave GSU a 9-8 lead.
GSU maintained a slim lead with both teams trading baskets. With just under 11 minutes to go in the half, the Jaguars took their first two-possession lead after a three-point bucket gave them an 18-14 advantage. AQ missed a three-pointer on the next possession and Governors State quickly scored another jumper to make the lead six.
Both teams traded buckets again as AQ trailed the Jaguars 22-16. The six-point lead was the largest lead that GSU held for the remainder of the game as the Saints began to mount a comeback. A huge dunk by Andrew Larson completely turned the tides of the game, narrowing the Jaguars lead to just one with the score at 24-23 in the first half. AQ finished out the first half with 17 unanswered points, giving them a 24-2 run and a 40-24 lead entering halftime.
The Saints remained hot heading into the second half and quickly increased the lead to 22 after a three-point shot from Boyd. Governors State narrowed the AQ lead to just 16 with eight minutes left to play, but the Saints quickly regained their 20-point advantage after a layup and a pair of free throws from Gabe Overway.
Bennett Sinner scored a pair of three-pointers coming off the bench with four minutes left to play. Sinner's six points quadrupled his point total for the season after a perfect two-for-two from beyond the arc.
Musa Hammad scored his first career points off the bench to give AQ an 81-58 lead late in the second half. Fernando Alvarez-May also scored his first career points after nailing a three-pointer with 26 seconds left on the clock. Those three points were the last points AQ would score with the game ending 87-61. In total, 16 players saw the court this afternoon with 12 different players contributing to the 87 points.
Overway led the way in scoring with 18 points after shooting 8-11 from the field. He was two-for-two on free throws while also tallying five rebounds, a pair of blocks, and a steal.
McGee scored 13 points this afternoon, largely thanks for 60 percent (3-5) shooting from beyond the arc. McGee didn't see the charity stripe, but did total four boards, two assists, and two steals.
Nick Henry put in a phenomenal game off the bench, scoring 12 points and picking up three rebounds. He was a perfect 5-5 from the field and picked up a block as he was a constant presence in the paint.
Boyd was the fourth Saint to eclipse double-digit scoring with 12 points himself. He shot 4-8 from the field and 3-7 from three while also posting a team-leading five assists throughout the game.
As a team, the Saints led in most of the statistical categories. AQ held the advantage in field goal percentage (52.3-50), three-point field goal percentage (34.6-33.3), free throw percentage (83.3-50), rebounds (36-23), assists (24-12), turnovers (5-12), and steals (6-2). GSU had slightly more blocks, leading 5-3.
The Saints have a quick turnaround with a pair of road games on December 30th and December 31st. AQ is taking on Spring Arbor at 1:00 PM on Friday (Dec. 30) and Grand Valley State University for an exhibition match at 3:00 PM on Saturday (Dec. 31).
