MEN’S BASKETBALL DEFEATS AQUINAS AT HOME BEHIND CLUTCH SECOND HALF

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - Men's Basketball (7-0, 2-0) will get to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner undefeated, defeating the Aquinas Saints (3-2, 1-1) in an exciting matchup at Garth Pleasant Arena. After a tough first half, the Warriors made big plays on offense to help keep the Saints at bay.

Rochester had four players score in double figures, with Anthony Cukaj leading the way at 18 points. Gunner Walters posted his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 assists, while Brett White had 15 important points off the bench. James Fisher scored 11 on 5-5 shooting.

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST HALF

• The Saints' defense, anchored by forward Andrew Larson, gave Rochester a lot of trouble to start the game. After a few buckets by Gunner Walters and Stavros Polatoglou, the Saints got a 17-9 lead, forcing a timeout
• Brett White would begin his big day off the bench, first finding Anthony Cukaj for a backdoor pass to halt the Saints' run. Shortly after, James Fisher would get a steal and take the ball coast-to-coast for an and-one to bring Rochester back within striking distance
• Walters and Fisher connected for a dunk down low, and Walters would find an opening for a layup to help the Warriors take the lead
• After some key minutes from Larson and guard Menalito McGee, the Saints regained the lead. McGee hit a great move on the Warrior defense for a layup, but White answered with a corner three. However, after two good Saints' defensive possessions, Larson hit a three to put the Saints up nine
• Rochester would enter halftime down by eight after the Saints hit a layup with five seconds remaining

SECOND HALF

• The Warriors got back momentum early into the second half, with the Warriors getting two big offensive rebounds - the second of which would be from Brody Parker, who in mid-air passed to Polatoglou for a wide-open dunk
• Rochester got back within four behind layups from Cukaj and Parker, but the Saints would get back up six after big plays down low from big Deandre Francis. However, Brett White would immediately make his presence known upon checking in, hitting a corner three off a dish by Walters
• The Warriors caught a break not long after. After a missed open dunk, Rochester took the ball downcourt and Walters set up Fisher for a dunk of his own. Following that up would be White, who would force a steal and get a wide-open flush to ignite the Garth Pleasant Arena crowd
• Aquinas and Rochester exchanged the lead with big shots, but Cukaj helped give the Warriors some separation with a tough layup in traffic. However, the Saints' Donovan Brown-Boyd hit a big three to keep the Saints in it. Up two, the Warriors got a clutch bucket from Walters on a well-placed reverse layup
• White made one of the night's biggest plays, chasing down his own miss for two consecutive offensive rebounds with under two minutes left, tipping in his own miss for a crucial layup. Following a layup by Fisher, Rochester secured the game on free throws

STAT OF THE GAME

In the second half, the Warriors forced seven turnovers on the Saints while limiting their own turnovers to three.

POSTGAME PRESSER

Head Coach Klint Pleasant had this to say about the team's execution down the stretch:

"Aquinas is very good. They have playmakers at every spot who love to iso you.

There was a stretch in the second half that we sat down and changed our mentality on the defensive end. That allowed us to put some crucial stops together. And then a few shots finally fell.

It was two good teams grinding, and we were fortunate to come out on top."

UP NEXT

The Warriors will get to enjoy Thanksgiving before competing against NCAA DII Grand Valley State in an exhibition on Monday, Nov. 27. 

Hussein Murray - RU Athletic Communications

Featured Image: Hanna Swanson - RU Athletics