A strong second-half defensive effort along with a balanced offensive attack lifted Lourdes to its 11^th consecutive victory, defeating Aquinas 76-61 inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.
 
Lourdes matches the longest winning in program history and extended its home court winning streak to 17 straight games as well.  The Gray Wolves also moved into second place in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference standings.
 
"The biggest plus for me during this streak is how we're scoring lots in the paint," head coach Dennis Hopson said afterwards.  "Now we just need to develop some consistency hitting shots from the perimeter when we kick the ball out."
 
Aquinas started fast, making five of its first six shots from the floor, including three triples, to take an early 13-5 lead less than six minutes into the contest.  Following a Gray Wolf timeout, Lourdes responded by forcing four turnovers on the next five possessions leading to a 10-0 spurt.
 
The Saints withstood the first run and rebuilt a 28-24 lead at the 5:42 mark before halftime, only to see the Gray Wolves answer the challenge again.  Lourdes scored nine of the next 12 points to reclaim the lead before taking a 37-34 advantage into the locker room.
 
The Gray Wolves scored 10 of the first 12 points out of the break to build an 11-point lead in less than two-and-a-half minutes and never looked back.  Aquinas was able to close to within six, 47-41, at the 14-minute mark, only to see Lourdes respond with a 16-1 spurt of its own, holding the Saints without a field goal for more than seven minutes.
 
"In the second half we did an excellent job defensively, both in our zone and in man," Hopson added.
 
With Lourdes leading by as many as 23, the Saints went on a late run to close within 12 but could get no closer in the final minutes.
 
Joey Holifield (Toledo, Ohio/Cardinal Stritch H.S.) led all scorers with 23 points for the Gray Wolves, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.  McRay White (Cleveland, Ohio/Garfield Heights H.S.) went 8-for-8 from the floor on his way to 16 points.
 
Nick Welch (Temperance, Mich./Saint Mary Catholic Central H.S.) also scored 16 points for the Gray Wolves while pulling down a team-high eight boards as Lourdes outrebounded the Saints 32-26, including 8-2 on the offensive end.  Little Anderson (Toledo, Ohio/Cardinal Stritch H.S.) gave Lourdes four double-figures scorers with his 13-point effort as well.
 
Lourdes shot 50% from the floor and forced 20 Aquinas turnovers to offset the Saints' 45.7% shooting from the field, including an 11-of-21 (52.4%) clip from three-point range.
 
Justin Lary led Aquinas (11-10, 5-7 WHAC) with 16 points while Sammie Ryans added 11 more.
 
Lourdes (16-3, 8-3) will look for its 12^th consecutive win overall, and 18^th straight home win, on Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves entertain Lawrence Tech.  Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.