Rochester, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team set a new season-high for three-pointers made, sinking 20 from downtown, en route to a 95-83 victory over Roberts Wesleyan University on Wednesday evening at the Voller Athletic Center.

STAC hits the 20-win plateau for the eighth time in the last nine seasons (20-21: only 14 wins due to a 16-game COVID schedule) with the victory and now sits at 20-3 overall and a perfect 11-0 in ECC play, while Roberts Wesleyan falls to 7-11 and 5-5.

Jamal Barnes led the way for the Spartans, recording 24 points all via the three-point shot, while teammates DeVante Jamison (19 points), Kyle Pulliam (13 points), and Antonio Vendola (12 points) also recorded double-digit point totals.

STAC shot 50.0 percent from the field (32-64) and a blistering 60.6 percent from three (20-33), while Roberts Wesleyan shot 52.5 percent (31-59) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nine Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Antonio Vendola led the maroon and gold with seven assists on the evening.
• Jamal Barnes made 8 of his 12 field goal attempts, with all eight coming from behind the arc, while DeVante Jamison went 7-for-15 from the floor.
• STAC out rebounded Roberts Wesleyan 34-27, with James Patterson grabbing a game-high seven boards.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up eight steals, with the Redhawks turning the ball over on 20 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over Roberts Wesleyan: Points off Turnovers (29-18), Second Chance Points (20-8) and Bench Points (24-14).
• The game featured two ties and 17 lead changes.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Roberts Wesleyan raced out to an early 7-3 advantage, before the Spartans scored seven of the next nine points, courtesy of layups by Luis Risquez and DeVante Jamison along with a trey from Antonio Vendola to take a 10-9 lead.
• Back and forth play between the squads saw the scoreboard flip on multiple occasions over the next five minutes.
• Jamal Barnes' three-pointer with 10:48 left before halftime, gave the Spartans a six-point lead, 27-21.
• While the Redhawks continued to put up points, so did the STAC. Leading by only two (27-25), the visitors in maroon and gold rattled off eight straight points to extend their lead to 35-27 with five and a half minutes to go before the break.
• The battle between ECC foes continued until the halftime buzzer, as the Spartans put up 12 of the final 31 points, but the Redhawks countered on almost every possession to only trail by one, 47-46 at the break.
• Devante Jamison paced the Spartans offense with 13 first-half points, while Rian Carter recorded 13 points of his own for the Redhawks.
• Returning from the intermission, STAC pushed its advantage to three (49-46) on a James Patterson layup. However, four straight Roberts Wesleyan Points gave them back the lead, 50-49.
• A James Patterson free throw evened the score at 50-50 with 18:36 left to play in the contest.
• See-saw play ensued once again, but the Spartans managed to build a four-point margin (63-59).
• The pesky Redhawks would not go away, erasing the STAC lead and building a 69-63 advantage for themselves on the strength of a 10-0 run.
• Scoreboard flips continued between the sides, but three pointers by the Spartans in the final 10 minutes of action would be the story. Jamal Barnes' five treys, along with threes from Ethan Millirons and Antonio Vendola helped STAC pull away down the stretch and snuff out potential Redhawks rally.
• St. Thomas Aquinas set a new high water mark for three-pointers in a game this season with 20. DeVante Jamison (4), Antonio Vendola (3), Jamal Barnes (8), Ethan Millirons (2) and Kyle Pulliam (3) all contributed to the new standard with their buckets from distance.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College heads across the Governor Mario M. Cuomo bridge for an ECC matchup with Mercy College on Wednesday, February 8. Tip-off between the Spartans and Mavericks is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Victory Gymnasium in Dobbs Ferry.