GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A productive offensive showing and rebounding effort from the University of St. Francis men's basketball team, which bested Aquinas College (Mich.) in shooting percentage, total rebounds and second chance scoring opportunities, was not enough in the end with the Fighting Saints falling short with a 77-69 defeat to the AC Saints in Day 1 of the Aquinas College Classic at the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center on Friday afternoon.
Turnovers plagued St. Francis (0-1) throughout the duration of the game but was highlighted in the first half, with the Fighting Saints handing the ball over 16 times to the hosts resulting in a 15-point swing after the first 20 minutes of play. After a slow start of their own, Aquinas (1-0) would extend their 16-13 advantage at the eleven-minute mark to as high as 10 points (25-15) in the closing seven minutes of the half, before settling for a 34-30 score at the break.
Aquinas' lead would quickly dissolve within the first five minutes of the second half when
Bryce Tillery and
Brady Cooper got hot from the floor and combined to account for all nine points to aid the Fighting Saints in bringing the score to 39-39. Aquinas would respond, however, connecting for four consecutive shots after turning a pair of USF turnovers into layups to up their margin to 12 points (57-45) with 8:16 remaining in the contest. USF would work the score back down to a seven-point game (62-55) over the next two and a half minutes, but Aquinas would seal the 77-69 win by going 4-for-7 from the floor with six free throws down the stretch.
St. Francis' offensive production, which gained a one-point (53-52) scoring edge over Aquinas in the game by shooting 47.1 percent from the field (24-of-51) with five treys in 16 attempts, and an aggressive rebounding effort (38 to 31) that showcased 10 offensive boards resulting in 10 second chance points to Aquinas' eight was all but washed out by 22 turnovers that resulted in 21 points for the hosts - which combined with 25 points (25-of-36) from the charity stripe to USF's 16 (16-of-25) - resulted in the final eight-point differential.
Tillery sank one three-pointer for USF as part of his game-high 23 points (7-for-10) with four steals in his debut as a Fighting Saint, while Cooper (10) and
Greyson Harrington (10) combined to score 20 points with Cooper pulling down a team-high seven rebounds.
Mershon Dickerson finished with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting with six steals for Aquinas.
Up Next
The Saints will take the court again tomorrow morning (Oct. 31) when they face-off against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (Ind.) in Day 2 of the Aquinas College Classic. The game is slated to begin at 11 am EST.
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