SPARKILL, N.Y. — D'Youville mounted a strong second-half rally but ultimately fell to St. Thomas Aquinas, 93-87, in an ECC matchup Friday night at Aquinas Hall.
The Saints trailed 46-31 at halftime and fell behind by as many as 24 points in the first half before responding with a 56-point second half. D'Youville steadily chipped away at the deficit and pulled within three late in the game, but could not fully overcome the early hole.
Sean Reynolds led the charge during the comeback, knocking down six 3-pointers and finishing with 24 points. Elisha Warren followed with 25 points and was flawless at the free-throw line, converting all six of his attempts. D'Youville shot 17-of-19 from the stripe overall, using its efficiency at the line to stay within striking distance in the closing minutes.
The Saints found success attacking the rim and pushing the pace, scoring 34 points in the paint and adding 20 fast-break points. Maxence Massadila played a key role in the offense, handing out 10 assists to help fuel multiple scoring runs, while Nathan Andrice added 13 points and two blocks on both ends of the floor.
St. Thomas Aquinas, however, made the difference by turning defense into offense, scoring 22 points off D'Youville's 22 turnovers to maintain control despite the late surge as well as knocking down late free throw to withhold their lead
D'Youville will look to build on its second-half momentum when it travels to Mercy University on Sunday.
