GARY, Ind. — Despite a furious second-half rally, the Indiana University Northwest women's basketball team came up just short in a 53-52 loss to Aquinas College (Mich.) on Thursday night at the Savannah Center.
After a slow start that saw the RedHawks (1-1) trail 25-12 at halftime, IU Northwest stormed back with a dominant 20-point third quarter led by transfer junior guard De'Mour Watson, who posted another double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. EJ Brown-Griffin provided key energy from the start, adding 12 points and three steals while converting all her free throws to cut the Saints' lead to two entering the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, Ava Kingery caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting three triples, including one with two seconds remaining that brought the RedHawks within one. However, Aquinas held on as time expired to secure the narrow win.
The RedHawks shot 38.5 percent from the field, compared to 33.9 percent by the Saints, but were undone at the free-throw line, converting just 50 percent (6-for-12) to Aquinas' perfect 7-for-7 mark. IU Northwest forced 21 turnovers and scored 20 points off them while out rebounding the Saints on the offensive glass, 4-7.
Kingery finished with 12 points, while Watson and Brown-Griffin combined for 31 of the team's 52 points, and senior Maggie Grady led the team with five assists.
