Washington, D.C. - A stellar 52-point second half by the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team, helped them to an 83-78 victory over the University of the District of Columbia on Wednesday evening at the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Complex.

STAC improves to 6-1 and 1-0 in the ECC, while UDC falls to 2-5 and 0-1.

James Patterson led the way for the Spartans, posting 22 points, while DeVante Jamison (18 points) and Antonio Vendola (12 points) also scored in double-figures.

STAC shot 38.5 percent from the field (30-78), while UDC shot 43.8 percent (28-64) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Ten STAC players recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• DeVante Jamison led the Spartans with five assists on the night.
• James Patterson made 7 of his 15 field goal attempts, while Antonio Vendola went 5-for-11 and Jamison went 6-for-15 from the floor.
• STAC out rebounded UDC by a margin of 50-42, with James Patterson grabbing a team-high nine boards.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up 10 steals in the contest, with the Firebirds turning the ball over on 16 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in four team statistical categories over District of Columbia: Points off of Turnovers (17-10), Second Chance Points (17-11), Points in the Paint (48-46) and Bench Points (40-37).
• The game featured seven ties and seven lead changes.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• UDC opened the contest on an 8-0 run, before Antonio Vendola's three-pointer cracked the shutout for the Spartans with just under 16 minutes to play in the first half.
• After getting within three at 8-5, the hosts went on another scoring streak, this time getting seven straight points to extend their advantage to 15-5.
• STAC battled back, closing the gap to just one point (18-17), before tying the game at 20-20 with seven and a half minutes to go before halftime.
• Back and forth action between the squads flipped the scoreboard on several occasions with neither side holding more than a two-point lead over a five minute span.
• However, after STAC took a one-point lead, 31-30, the host Firebirds rattled off 11 straight points to take a 41-31 advantage at the break.
• Antonio Vendola paced the Spartans offense with seven first-half points, while Tevin Curtis led all scorers with 10 points for the Firebirds.
• Following the intermission, a reinvigorated Spartan squad stepped onto the floor, ready for battle, and it showed. STAC cut its deficit to four (48-44) in just the first four and a half minutes of the new half.
• District of Columbia would then work its way back to a nine-point lead, 57-48, but as we all know, challenges like these are just what St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball teams live for.
• STAC would chip away at its disadvantage, little by little, getting within one at 66-65 on a Richard Smith layup with 6:21 left to play.
• A pair of James Patterson free throws gave the Spartans back the lead, but it was short-lived due to a UDC three with five minutes to go.
• Another 7-0 run for STAC, via a James Patterson jumper and layup and a DeVante Jamison free throw and layup gave the visitors a 74-69 lead with 3:10 to play.
• One final UDC push gave them nine of 12 points over about a two minute span to retake the lead on a pair of free throws, 78-77.
• However, the Spartans would not quietly into the D.C. night, as they scored the games final six points to win the wild affair between ECC foes. James Patterson's tipped-in basket flipped the scoreboard in favor of STAC one last time with less than a minute to play, while four made free throws by DeVante Jamison in the closing seconds, sealed the contest.

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