Garden City, N.Y. - A pair of DeVante Jamison free throws with 21 seconds remaining in regulation, propelled the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team to a 80-78 road victory over Adelphi University on Thursday afternoon at the Center for Recreation and Sport. 

STAC closes out 2022 with a 12-2 record, while Adelphi slips to 6-8.

DeVante Jamison led the Spartans with 20 points, while teammates Jamal Barnes (16 points) and Luis Risquez (11 points) also scored in double-figures.

STAC shot 45.9 percent from the field (28-61) and 52.9 percent from behind the arc (9-17), while Adelphi shot 53.7 percent (29-54) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• DeVante Jamison led the maroon and gold with seven assists on the day.
• Jamison made 7 of his 15 field goal attempts, while Luis Risquez went 5-for-10 from the floor.
• Adelphi out rebounded STAC 34-30 in the non-conference tilt, with James Patterson grabbing team-high five boards.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up eight steals, with the Panthers turning the ball over on 16 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over Adelphi: Points off of Turnovers (17-14), Fastbreak Points (10-4) and Bench Points (24-17).
• The game featured eight ties and 12 lead changes.
• STAC posted a record of 30-4 during calendar year 2022.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Scoring by both teams highlighted the first 2:20 of action in the first half, with the scoreboard flipping on five occasions and STAC holding an 8-6 lead.
• Adelphi scored 14 of the next 16 points to take a 10-point advantage at 20-10 with a tick under 13 minutes remaining in the stanza.
• The Spartans chipped away at its double digit deficit and finally knotted things at 24-24 on a pair of Jamal Barnes free throws, before James Patterson and Luis Risquez buckets put STAC up by four (28-24) with 6:41 to play before halftime.
• St. Thomas Aquinas settled in and worked to build a nine-point lead (40-31), but Adelphi battled back to narrow the lead to just two (41-39) with a hair over 30 seconds to play.
• Vasilis Tolias would answer with a jumper for the Spartans in the final seconds to put the maroon and gold ahead by four, 43-39 at the break.
• Jamal Barnes paced the Spartans offense with eight first-half points, while Matthew Price led all scorers with 10 points for the Panthers.
• DeVante Jamison opened the second half scoring by sinking a pair of free throws to extend the STAC lead to 45-39.
• A 9-2 run by the host Panthers put them back ahead 48-47 with 16 minutes left in regulation.
• See-saw play for the next four minutes allowed both sides to hold small advantages on the scoreboard, with the squads also being tied up on multiple occasions.
• Three point buckets from Jamal Barnes and DeVante Jamison had the Spartans up four (60-56) with under 12 minutes left to play.
• Again, Adelphi closed the single-digit deficit and took a two-point lead (66-64). However, it would be short-lived as STAC went on a 10-0 streak, with Jamison, Barnes and Tolias leading the way to give the visitors a 74-66 lead with six and a half minutes remaining.
• Antonio Vendola's jumper with just under five minutes to play put STAC up 10 at 78-68, which seemed to be a comfortable margin, but it was not.
• The pesky Panthers proceeded to rattle off 10 straight points in a four minute and 10 second span to square things at 78-78.
• In the last minute of play, STAC possessed the basketball and off of a missed three-point attempt by Antonio Vendola, teammate DeVante Jamison grabbed the crucial board and was fouled by the Panthers, sending him to the line for two big free throws.
• Jamison sank both foul shots to put his team up by two (80-78) and Adelphi would take a timeout with 14 seconds left, to draw up one last play to either tie or win the game.
• On the final offensive sequence for the Panthers, a missed jump shot resulted in one final defensive rebound by Jamal Barnes to seal the two-point triumph for STAC.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College opens the new year at Aquinas Hall, hosting Jefferson University in a matinee game on Wednesday, January 4. Opening tip between the Spartans and Rams is set for 3:00 p.m.