The St. Thomas Aquinas men's basketball team lost at Dowling, 53-44.  STAC received 17 points from sophomore Ra'Shad James who shot 3-6 from behind the arc.  Linton Brown added 8 points and 4 rebounds while Justin Brown had 7 points.

STAC opened the game on a 10-1 run behind 8 points by James and a bucket by Linton Brown.  Dowling responded with a 16-6 run to take a one points lead, 17-16 with eight minutes left in the half.  The Golden Lions extended their lead to eight, 25-17 with 2:59 remaining in the half.  James hit a jumper with under a minute to go to bring STAC within five, 27-22 but Dowling's Sean Smith knocked down two free throws to give the Golden Lions a seven point lead at the break. 

The Spartans closed within two behind a layup by Chad Williams with 12:59 remaining.  Both teams exchanged baskets down the stretch with Dowling able to extend their lead to 47-40 with 4:21 remaining.  The Spartans struggled to score in the final minutes of play as they were held to one field goal the rest of the way.   

STAC will be back in action on Saturday as they host Mercy College for a 3 PM game.