Taking the hardwood for the first time in nearly two weeks, Lourdes dropped its first Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference game of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling to Aquinas 75-59 inside the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center.
 
"The better team won today," head coach Dennis Hopson said after the game.  "With (Nick) Welch out, we have to figure out ways to get it done."
 
Lourdes shot just 36.1% from the floor and made just 5-of-22 (22.7%) from three-point range.  The Saints were able to outrebound the Gray Wolves 38-35 on the night and outscore Lourdes 42-28 in the paint.
 
The first half was tight throughout, with Clif Snow (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown H.S.) scoring 16 of his team-high 18 points before the break.  Neither team led by more than five in the opening 20 minutes, with Aquinas holding a 30-29 edge heading into the locker room.
 
Back-to-back threes by Aquinas early in the second half started a 10-0 spurt as the Saints built a 42-31 advantage with 15:28 to play.  The Gray Wolves were able to battle back, cutting the deficit to four, 51-47, with just over six minutes remaining.
 
A second 10-0 run of the half pushed the lead back to 14, and Lourdes was never able to pull within single digits the rest of the way.
 
Julian Egbo (Toledo, Ohio/Rogers H.S.) recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Brett Lauf (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon H.S.) came off the bench to score 11 points and hand out four assists.
 
Sammie Ryans led Aquinas (3-6, 3-5 WHAC) with 27 points and nine rebounds while Jesse Hillis added 21 points and eight assists.
 
Lourdes (6-3, 4-1) will have a quick turnaround as the Gray Wolves host Siena Heights on Sunday afternoon.  Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center with Senior Day activities taking place prior to the game.