Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team extended its current win streak to six games, with an 85-74 triumph over D'Youville University on Sunday afternoon at Aquinas Hall.

STAC improves to 9-1 and 4-0 in the ECC, while D'Youville falls to 3-8 and 2-2.

James Patterson led the way for the Spartans, recording 19 points, while Jamal Barnes (13 points), DeVante Jamison (12 points) and Luis Risquez (11 points) also scored in double-figures.

STAC shot 39.1 percent from the field (27-69) and 40.0 percent from three (8-20), while D'Youville shot 44.6 percent (25-56) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• All eleven participants in the game recorded double-digit minutes for the Spartans. 
• DeVante Jamison led STAC with seven assists on the afternoon.
• Jamal Barnes made 5 of his 10 field goal attempts, with three coming from three, while Luis Risquez went 5-of-10 and James Patterson 5-of-13 from the floor.
• STAC out rebounded D'Youville 48-36 through 40 minutes of action, with James Patterson posting a team-high eight boards for the maroon and gold.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up 15 steals in the contest, with D'Youville turning the ball over on 27 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over the Saints: Points off of Turnovers (31-18), Second Chance Points (22-9), Points in the Paint (38-28) and Bench Points (29-18).
• The game featured one tie and three lead changes.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A game opening three-point lead by D'Youville was short-lived, as the Spartans rattled off eight straight points, courtesy of Jamal Barnes, DeVante Jamison, Jordan Green and James Patterson to lead 8-3.
• STAC surged to a 19-6 advantage via an 11-3 run over the next three minutes.
• Despite several attempts by the Saints to close the gap on the scoreboard, the Spartans continued to answer with buckets of their own and maintained several double-digit leads, including a 15-point margin (37-22) with 2:45 to play before halftime.
• A tip-in basket by Luis Risquez just before the buzzer kept the visitors at arms length, 40-29 through 20 minutes of action.
• James Patterson and DeVante Jamison paced the Spartans offense with eight first-half points apiece, while Mason Putnam posted seven points for the Saints.
• The teams returned from the break, trading the first six baskets, with Jamal Barnes recording five of the Spartans seven points in that span to extend the maroon and gold lead to 12, at 47-35.
• D'Youville would chip away at the double-digit STAC lead, getting within five (56-51) with a little over 10 minutes to play in the game.
• Continued pressure by the Saints got them within three on two occasions, 59-56 and 62-59, but the Spartans would continue to push the pace on their offensive end of the floor and build a five-point lead, 64-59 with under eight minute left.
• A 4-0 run by D'Youville squared things a 64-64 with seven minutes on the clock.
• See-saw play kept the Saints close, as the teams got themselves caught up in a cat and mouse game down the stretch. D'Youville even flipped the scoreboard in their favor, momentarily taking a 67-66 lead with 4:54 left in the game.
• Six straight points by the Spartans, allowed them to retake the lead, 72-67.
• With an eight point advantage in the final minute and a half of regulation, D'Youville was forced to play the foul game in order to preserve time on the clock. Fortunately for STAC, DeVante Jamison, Luis Risquez, Antonio Vendola and James Patterson combined to go 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, to shut down a potential Saints rally and give the Spartans another big ECC victory. 

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College hosts Assumption University on Wednesday, December 14 at Aquinas Hall. *Please note the special start time for the men's contest, which is 5:00 p.m.*