Lourdes had to battle for all 40 minutes on Saturday afternoon but in the end the 20^th-ranked Gray Wolves remained undefeated after downing Aquinas 80-76 inside the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center in Grand Rapids, Mich.
 
"I thought Aquinas played a great game," head coach Dennis Hopson said afterwards.  "We won the game but I'm not happy with our defensive rotations.  Shaunn Monroe played a heck of a game for us."
 
Shaunn Monroe (Charleston, W. Va./Fairborn [Ohio] H.S.) scored a team-high 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor while Joey Holifield (Toledo, Ohio/Cardinal Stritch H.S.) added 16 points.  Jackie Harris (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales H.S.) added 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
 
Lourdes jumped out to a 16-10 lead eight minutes into the contest and led by eight, 27-19, with 7:28 to play before halftime before the Saints battled back.  Aquinas took a 33-32 lead, capping a 13-6 run, before the two schools eventually headed to the locker room tied at 41.
 
Back-to-back baskets, including a triple, by Monroe gave Lourdes a 48-45 lead four minutes into the second half.  The Gray Wolves would push the lead to six, 54-48, with 13 minutes left following a Harris three-pointer. 
 
Lourdes would maintain a lead until the 10-minute mark when Aquinas went on a 10-0 spurt over three minutes to take a 68-61 advantage.  The Saints led by as many as eight, 73-65, with just over five minutes to play before the Gray Wolves fought back.
 
Down 76-71 with under four minutes to play, Lourdes scored the next six points, taking the lead on a Holifield lay-in with 37 ticks left on the clock.  The Gray Wolves then made three free throws down the stretch, securing the win by holding Aquinas scoreless for the game's final 3:53 and without a field goal for the last 5:21.
 
Andrew Larson led Aquinas (5-4, 2-3 WHAC) with 19 points while DeAndre Francis added 14 points and eight rebounds.
 
Lourdes (9-0, 5-0) will return home next Saturday (Dec. 16) to host Concordia (Mich.).  Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.