SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – The Lawrence Technological (Mich.) University men's basketball team continued its year of firsts, this time with its first win over Aquinas (Mich.) College, taking the game 77-60 on Wednesday night at Don Ridler Field House.

Lawrence Tech (8-9, 5-5) was led by Ty Searles (SR/Pontiac, Mich.) as he started the game 6-for-11 with 16 points in the first half as the teams were tied 32-32 at the break. Earlier in the first half, Searles hit a three to give the Blue Devils an 11-10 lead, but an 8-3 run by Aquinas gave the Saints an 18-13 lead with 9:03 left in the half. Carter Frantz (FR/Dansville, Mich.) helped quell the Saints run with a three and Searles hit a pair of free-throws to tie the game at 18-18.

Aquinas (5-14, 4-6) retook the lead, pushing it to 26-20 as they closed in on halftime, but Searles had different plans, hitting a three to end the half tied at 32-32. The Blue Devils finished the half shooting 5-for-6 from beyond the arc with 15 rebounds including four offensive rebounds.

In the second half, the Blue Devils continued where they left off in the first half, hitting their first three shots to take a 41-37 lead with 16:55 on the clock. Searles scored seven of the teams opening nine points in the half. The Saints cut the lead to 41-39, but the Blue Devils went on a 13-3 run highlighted by 11 points from Searles. Devonte Myles closed the run with a jumper with 11:11 left in the game to make it 54-42.

The Saint cut the lead to nine with 8:59 left on the clock, but that's as close as the Blue Devils let Aquinas get as they built a 14-point lead following Alek Ivanovic (SO/Macomb, Mich.)'s three pointer. Ivanovic, later in the game, put the Blue Devils up 20 points – their largest lead of the game – with another three to make it 77-57. Aquinas hit a three at the buzzer, but it didn't matter as the Blue Devils got their eighth win of the season and first win over Aquinas with a 77-60 victory.

Four Blue Devils scored in double-digits including Searles 34 points followed by Myles with 11 points. Ivanovic and Jalen Bethel (FR/Columbus, Ohio) both scored 10 points while Myles and Ivanovic each led the team in rebounds with six. DeShawn Lewis led the Saints with 19 points, three rebounds, and two steals. The Blue Devils shot 50.9 percent from the field including 57.9 percent from three-point range.

Lawrence Tech is back on the court Saturday, January 12 when the Blue Devils host Concordia (Mich.) University – Ann Arbor at 3 p.m. at Don Ridler Field House.