Sparkill, N.Y. - Scoring 100 plus points for the second straight game and third time this season, the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team rolled to a 116-79 triumph over Mercy College on Wednesday evening at Aquinas Hall Gym.

STAC improves to 15-2 overall and 6-0 in ECC play, while Mercy drops to 2-12 and 1-5.

James Patterson led the Spartans with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while teammates Ethan Millirons (17 points), Jamal Barnes (16 points), DeVante Jamison (14 points), Kyle Jones (12 points) and Luis Risquez (12 points) also scored in double-figures.

STAC shot 55.1 percent from the field (43-78), while Mercy shot 45.5 percent (30-66) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Ten Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• DeVante Jamison led the maroon and gold with nine assists on the evening.
• James Patterson made 8 of his 15 field goal attempts, while Jamal Barnes and Ethan Millirons each went 6-for-9 from the floor.
• STAC out rebounded Mercy 45-29, with James Patterson both grabbing a game-high 13 boards.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up 10 steals, with the Mavericks turning the ball over on 23 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in five team statistical categories over Mercy: Points off Turnovers (31-14), Second Chance Points (17-11), Points in the Paint (60-36), Fastbreak Points (2-0) and Bench Points (56-24).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The host Spartans opened the contest with a 12-5 run, which forced Mercy to call a timeout just 3:28 in.
• Cutting their deficit to just four (14-10), STAC went on another streak, this time 17-2 to expand its advantage to 19 (31-12) with 13:31 to play before halftime.
• Runs were the theme of the game for the maroon and gold. Each time Mercy would try to climb back into the game, STAC would pour it on. 
• Leading by as much as 31 points late in the half, Mercy continued to make their shots in the hope of cutting the deficit to a more manageable margin on the scoreboard. A final Mavericks bucket before the intermission made it 59-34 in favor of the hosts.
• Jamal Barnes paced the Spartans offense with 11 first-half points, while Sean Smith, Jr. led all scorers with 12 points for Mercy.
• When the teams returned to the court for the second stanza, it was more of the same for the Spartans, as DeVante Jamison, James Patterson, and Jamal Barnes continued to score at-will with eight straight points to increase the STAC advantage to 33, at 67-34.
• A pair of DeVante Jamison free throws put the Spartans over the century mark for the second straight game and third time this season, with 5:55 remaining in the second half.
• The STAC fire power would just be too much to handle, as a Richard Smith layup with 2:21 to play gave the maroon and gold its largest lead of the game (45 points), 112-67.
• Down the stretch, and with the game all but secure, Mercy would go on a 12-4 run to cut its margin of defeat to 37.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College hosts Saint Anselm College in a pivotal East Regional matchup at Aquinas Hall on Saturday, January 14 (3:00 p.m.).