Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team won its fourth straight East Coast Conference Tournament Championship, and seventh title in the last eight years, with a 72-66 victory over Daemen University, in front of a raucous sellout crowd at Aquinas Hall Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.
STAC now stands at 26-4 overall and clinches an automatic bid into the upcoming NCAA Division II Tournament - with seedings and matchups being announced later tonight - as the Spartans entered the weekend at No. 6 in the East Regional rankings.
James Patterson paced the STAC offense with 19 points, while DeVante Jamison (15 points), Antonio Vendola (12 points), Jamal Barnes (10 points) and Luis Risquez (10 points) also scored in double-figures for the maroon and gold. Dylan Fasoyiro led all scorers with 21 points for Daemen.
St. Thomas Aquinas shot 43.8 percent from the field (28-64), while Daemen shot 48.1 percent (25-52) from the floor and 62.5 percent from three.
STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:
- Nine Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest.
- DeVante Jamison led the Spartans with five assists on the afternoon.
- James Patterson made 8 of his 14 field goal attempts, while DeVante Jamison went 5-for-14 from the floor.
- St. Thomas Aquinas out rebounded Daemen 36-32 in 40 minutes of action, with James Patterson grabbing a game-high nine boards for the Spartans.
- STAC picked up 11 steals in the contest, with Daemen turning the ball over on 18 separate occasions.
- The Spartans earned advantages in four team statistical categories over the Wildcats: Points off Turnovers (19-8), Points in the Paint (36-28), Fastbreak Points (20-14) and Bench Points (16-12).
- The game featured five ties and two lead changes.
- DeVante Jamison was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tourney, while teammates Jamal Barnes and James Patterson were selected for the All-Tournament team.
BY THE NUMBERS - ECC CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION:
- Of the 34 ECC Men's Basketball Champions crowned since the tournament's inception in 1990, St. Thomas Aquinas now stands tied with LIU/C.W. Post for the most number of championships won, at 7.
- In STAC's seven championship game triumphs, their average margin of victory has been 12.0 points per game.
- STAC's current eight-year streak of NCAA Tournament bids ties for most appearances in East Coast Conference history with Adelphi University (1995-2002).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- STAC raced out to an 8-0 lead, as Jamal Barnes, DeVante Jamison and James Patterson each connected on early buckets.
- Kyle Pulliam's trey with just under 15 minutes to play in the first half put the Spartans up by 10 at 13-3.
- An 8-2 run by Daemen got them within four (15-11) at the midway point of the stanza.
- The teams then traded baskets with the maroon and gold building as much as eight-point advantage (19-11), before the Wildcats erased its deficit to tie things at 25-25 with just under four minutes to play before halftime.
- DeVante Jamison and Antonio Vendola's back-to-back baskets gave the Spartans back the lead at 29-25.
- A Daemen three made it a one-point STAC lead, 29-28, but Vendola would once again connect on a layup to put the hosts up three (31-28).
- Another Wildcats shot from downtown sailed through the net to tie the game at 31-31 with remaining 1:18 on the first-half clock.
- Those points would be the final ones of the frame, as the teams retreated to their respective locker rooms at the break.
- Antonio Vendola paced the Spartans' offense with eight first-half points, while Andrew Mason led all scorers with 12 points for the Wildcats.
- When the teams returned to the hardwood for second-half action, a James Patterson jumper gave STAC the lead, 33-31, but it would be short-lived as another Daemen three would fall to put them ahead 34-33.
- Back and forth action highlighted the next seven minutes, with the sides matching each other's offensive output. STAC held a slim one-point advantage (43-42) with 12:15 left in regulation.
- The Spartans would pick up 13 of the next 15 points, with Antonio Vendola, James Patterson, Jamal Barnes, DeVante Jamison and Richard Smith all making the most of their opportunities on trips down the floor to push the margin to 12, at 56-44.
- Five straight points by Daemen closed the gap to 56-49 with a little over five minutes to play in the championship game.
- Late in the game, Daemen attempted to rally back, as they got within three (61-58) with two minutes left, but the play of Luis Risquez, DeVante Jamison, James Patterson, on both sides of the basketball, helped to keep the Wildcats at an arm's length until the final buzzer.
UP NEXT:
St. Thomas Aquinas awaits its tournament seeding and opponent from the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Selection Committee, which will be announced later this evening (11:00 p.m.) at NCAA.com. The East Region tourney will get underway next weekend at a still-to-be-determined site.
Provided by the St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information Department.
