SPRING ARBOR, MI. – Exam week gave the Spring Arbor Men's Basketball team an extended break, but they were finally back in action Tuesday night in a nonconference matchup against the Saints from Aquinas.
 
The first half was dominated early by Spring Arbor, as the Cougars began the game with a 15-0 run, before Aquinas finally broke the seal with a pair of free throws at the 15:04 mark. From there, the Saints showed some fight, going on a 10-2 run to trim their deficit to five, but that was as close as they would get, as a 12-2 run by Spring Arbor extended their lead back to double-digits, where it would stay for the rest of the half, as the Cougars took a 38-26 lead into the break. 
 
The 2nd half started out with the two squads exchanging a few buckets before a scintillating 33-9 run by Spring Arbor put the game well out of reach for Aquinas. The Cougars lead ballooned to as much as 34 points at 73-39 with 8:25 left in the half, but an Aquinas run at the end of the contest trimmed margin slightly, with Spring Arbor still winning comfortably by 23, at 83-60. It was the second win by 20 or more points this year for the Cougars, with the first coming in a November 12^th victory at Lawrence Tech, 95-67. 
 
SCORE: Spring Arbor 83, Aquinas 60
LOCATION: Spring Arbor, MI | American 1 Credit Union Arena
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 10-2 | Aquinas 5-6
 
 
GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Along with the win, the big highlight of the contest was senior forward Kevyn Robertson joining the 1,000 point club early in the second half. Robertson is the 50th player in school history to reach this mark. 
• For the 8^th time this season in 12 games, Gabe Newhof was the leading scorer for the Cougars with 21 points. He also added 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. 
• Along with Newhof, the four other Spring Arbor starters all recorded double figures, as Shane Rykse had a career high 17 points, Travis Grayson had 15 points and 5 assists in his return from injury,  Robertson had 12 points with 7 rebounds, and Dante Favor had a double double with 10 points and 14 rebounds, as well as 3 assists. 
• The entire roster for Spring Arbor entered the game, with Freshmen Warrick Elder recording his first career points on a bucket late in the second half. 
• The leading scorer for Aquinas was Devon Boyd, who had 16 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

 
 
TEAM STATS:
FG Percentage: Aquinas 37.5%, Spring Arbor 54.5%
3PT Percentage: Aquinas 33.3%, Spring Arbor 38.5%
FT Percentage: Aquinas 57.1%, Spring Arbor 78.3%
Rebounds: Aquinas 27, Spring Arbor 41
Points off Turnovers: Aquinas 18, Spring Arbor 15
2^nd Chance Points: Aquinas 0, Spring Arbor 11
Bench Points: Aquinas 38, Spring Arbor 8
Points in Paint: Aquinas 24, Spring Arbor 48
 
 
 
Next Up: 
The Cougars will hit the road and make the short trip east to Livonia to take on Madonna in a non-conference matchup with the Crusaders on Friday, December 20^th. Tip-off will be at 1:00 PM.