Syracuse, N.Y. - Three James Patterson free throws in the final minute of regulation helped propel the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team to thrilling 88-87 victory over Le Moyne College on Wednesday evening at Ted Grant Court.

With the victory, STAC remains perfect on the season at 3-0, while Le Moyne drops to 0-3.

James Patterson led the way for the Spartans, posting 26 points and 12 rebounds, while DeVante Jamison (16 points), Antonio Vendola (16 points) and Jamal Barnes (10 points) also scored in double-figures.

STAC shot 49.2 percent from the field (29-59) and 53.3 percent from behind the arc (8-15), while Le Moyne shot 52.9 percent (27-51) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight different players recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• DeVante Jamison led the Spartans with four assists on the night.
• James Patterson made 9 of his 17 field goal attempts and went 8-for-11 from the foul line.
• STAC out rebounded Le Moyne 38-29 through 40 minutes of action, as Patterson (12) posted double-digit boards.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up seven steals in the contest, with the Dolphins turning the ball over on 10 different occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over Le Moyne: Points in the Paint (16-12), Second Chance Points (16-8) and Points in the Paint (34-28).
• The contest featured 20 lead changes, 17 ties and 50 foul calls.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• STAC bolted out to a 7-4 lead on the strength of a Jamal Barnes three, an Antonio Vendola jumper and a James Patterson layup.
• Le Moyne tied the score at 9-9, before taking its first lead of the evening on a three-pointer, 12-9 with under 16 minutes left to play in the half.
• The teams went back and forth, with neither side going up by more than four points and the score being tied up on several occasions.
• A late DeVante Jamison jump shot put the visitors from Sparkill up three (46-43), before the Dolphins drained a last second three to square things at 46-46 at the halftime buzzer.
• James Patterson paced the Spartans offense with 17 first half points, while Jeremiah Washington, Zy'Ever Wingfield and Nate McClure led the Dolphins with eight points each.
• Following the break, Le Moyne wasted no time retaking the lead on on a dunk, but were trumped by STAC via an Antonio Vendola three-point jumper to make it 49-48.
• Vendola and DeVante Jamison combined help STAC go on a mini 7-2 run before the 16-minute media timeout to take a 56-50 lead.
• Back and forth action between the squads caused the teams to both hold leads over the next six minutes, with STAC finally breaking out to a five-point advantage (72-67) with just under 10 minutes left to play in regulation.
• St. Thomas Aquinas matched Le Moyne shot for shot in the hopes of keeping slim margins, but a pair of free throws by the Dolphins gave them back the lead at 78-77 with 5:09 left.
• Another Dolphins free throw put them up by two (79-77), before James Patterson became the story in the final minutes of the game. Patterson sank two free throws to help STAC tie things at 79-79.
• A Patterson layup then gave the Spartans the lead at 81-79, but a Le Moyne three would flip the scoreboard once again at 82-81.
• DeVante Jamison and James Patterson jumpers with a Dolphins free throw in between made it 85-83 with just under two minutes to play.
• Le Moyne knotted the game at 85-85 on dunk, before three free throws by Patterson pushed the Spartans ahead again at 88-85 with a little over 10 seconds to play.
• Two more Dolphins free throws closed the deficit to one (88-87), and a pair of missed foul shots by DeVante Jamison game Le Moyne one final opportunity to win the game.
• After a timeout, an inbound by the Dolphins from their own side of half court and an off balance heave, which went wide, allowed the clock to run out to give STAC the thrilling one-point victory.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas takes on Lincoln University (PA) in the Harlem Renaissance Classic on Saturday, November 19 (7:00 p.m.) at City College of New York.