The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team fell to a 79-62 defeat at the hands of the University of Findlay in non-conference action at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans slipped to 10-2 on the season, while Findlay improved to 6-5 overall.

After an early exchange of leads, the Spartans rode an 8-0 run as Osbel Caraballo poured in six straight points to open an 11-4 lead. STAC was firing on all cylinders as Grant Singleton struck from deep to extend the lead to 25-13 after just eight minutes of play. Findlay rebounded, however, using a variety of defensive looks to frustrate the Spartans who fell behind briefly before clinging to a 36-34 lead at intermission.

Ethan Linder tied the game for the Oilers after just seven seconds of play in the second half, touching off a 12-2 run over the first five minutes and opening a 46-38 advantage. The hosts trailed at 53-48 by the midway point of the half, but the Spartans were held scoreless for the next five minutes, as Nate Bruns hit a jumper to cap a 15-0 run, opening an insurmountable 68-48 cushion.

Caraballo led the Spartans with a game-high 20 points and Avante Gilbert came off the bench to add 15, while Linder paced four Findlay scorers in double-figures with 14.

The Spartans return in January to start the year 2020 with a trio of big East Region matchups, starting on January 2 with a trip to Bloomfield. Two days later they will travel to play Saint Rose before returning to Aquinas Hall to take on New Haven on Wednesday, January 8.