Taylor Ties Record As Men’s Basketball Drops Road Tilt

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A rough shooting night for the Marygrove men’s basketball team (2-21; 1-14 WHAC) Wednesday (Jan. 29) in Grand Rapids was enough for the Aquinas College Saints (10-12; 7-7 WHAC) to pull even in the conference and top the Mustangs by a 98-63 final. The host Saints went up 52-27 at the half and never looked back despite a tough battle from the Mustangs in the latter stanza as each team closed out play for the month of January.

Marygrove pulled to within five, 16-11, on a DeVonte Pryor (Pontiac, Mich./West Texas A&M) triple with 12:31 remaining in the first half before the Mustangs went cold. Pryor’s three-pointer at the 12:31 mark would be the final points the Mustangs put on the scoreboard for a five-plus minute stretch as the Saints pulled away behind a 21-0 run.

The 21-point run landed the Mustangs in a 25-point halftime hole.

In the second half, the Mustangs continued to struggle from the field as the Saints created more distance in the 35-point decision. Marygrove was outdone by their tough luck from the floor and a strong rebounding Aquinas team as the Saints won the battle on the glass, 63-39.

Sophomore guard Diante Taylor (Battle Creek, Mich./Central) etched his name into the Marygrove men’s basketball history book late into Wednesday’s contest as he reached double figures scoring in 36 consecutive games. With 15 points Wednesday, Taylor tied former Mustang standout Dennis Foster with 36 straight 10-plus point games while donning the Marygrove Green & Gold. Taylor’s scoring streak started over a calendar year ago on Jan. 10, 2013 when he tallied 14 against Siena Heights.

Darryll Dixon (Flint, Mich./Hamady) led the Mustangs in scoring with 22 points. Pryor and Xavier Walker (Flint, Mich./Powers Catholic) added seven points each, while JuJuan Armstrong (Detroit, Mich./UM-Dearborn) corralled a team-high eight rebounds.

Aquinas was led by Zac VanBeek with 17 points.

The Mustangs return to the NWAC Saturday (Feb. 1) for a 3 p.m. tip against WHAC counterpart Concordia-Ann Arbor. The game will be featured on the Mustang Sports Network with live audio play-by-play and live stats.

Follow men’s basketball on twitter: @MGroveMBBALL

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