Eric Welch, Staff Writer
UM-D women’s basketball plays at their home court at UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse. Photo//Alana Dackiw
Excitement was in the air on Wednesday night; UM-Dearborn basketball finally returned home to the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse. It has been two years since flooding destroyed the Wolverines home court. Fans and players alike were energized to be in their house once again.
The UM-D women’s basketball team (7-18, 4-13 WHAC) started the night off with a 67-61 victory over the visiting Aquinas Saints. The Wolverines started the game strong and led 43-27 at halftime.
The Wolverines were able to extend their lead to 19 points in the second half. However, the Saints came marching back to tie the game 52-52 with 5:31 left in fourth quarter. The Wolverines took the lead back on the next possession and never looked back, winning what turned out to be a close game.
Sophomore Jordan Banks led the Wolverines with a double-double despite starting the game on the bench. Banks finished with an impressive 23 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Other standouts included sophomore Siena Smith, who added 20 points and five rebounds. Fellow sophomore India Grissom led the team with six assists.
The Saints were very balanced on the stat sheet. JaKarri Alven led Aquinas with only 10 points.
The women’s team later played Friday against Siena Heights, dropping that game 70-48. However, they got right back on track Saturday in a Senior Day home game against Madonna, advancing to 2-0 on their new home floor.
#3 Maurice Anderson (right) dribbles the basketball to the hoop. Photo//Alana Dackiw
In the nightcap, the men’s basketball team (4-22, 1-17) lost to the Aquinas Saints by a score of 72-61, spoiling Dearborn’s historic night. The loss was the Wolverines eighth in a row, all in conference matchups.
Sophomore Maurice Anderson led the Wolverines in scoring and rebounding, netting 24 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Troy Campbell chipped in 10 points. Freshman Thomas Dillard IV also tacked on 10 points of his own. Junior Vyshonn Munson dished out four assists to lead the team.
Aquinas had two players score double doubles. Donovan Brown-Boyd scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Gabe Overway had 20 points and 12 rebounds.
The Wolverines kept things close, out shooting the Saints 42.1% to 36.2% for the game. However, Aquinas is in a fight to hold onto the final playoff spot in the WHAC and proved too much for the Wolverines, taking control late in the second half to win by 11.
Next up, the Wolverines will welcome Madonna University to Dearborn for a conference matchup, Saturday (Feb. 11). Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 P.M.