Waltham, Mass. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team saw its 2021-22 season come to an end with a 82-75 loss to Bentley University at the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball East Region Final in Waltham, Mass.

The Spartans' campaign comes to a close with a 28-5 overall record, ECC Regular Season and Tournament Championships, the team's seventh straight NCAA Tourney bid and its fourth regional finals appearance. Meanwhile, Bentley is now 25-4 and will make its fourth Elite Eight appearance in program history.

Grant Singleton led all scorers with 26 points for the Spartans, while Demetre Roberts (23 points) and Osbel Caraballo (15 points) also scored in double figures. Zach Laput and Jordon Mello-Klein paced the Falcons offense with 17 points apiece. 

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 44.6 percent from the field (29-65) and 37.0 percent from behind the arc (10-27), while Bentley shot 53.7 percent (29-54) from the floor and 42.1 percent (8-19) from three.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven players recorded double-digit minutes in the finals matchup.
• Grant Singleton and DeVante Jamison led the Spartans with two assists on the evening.
• Grant Singleton made 9 of his 17 field goal attempts, with 6-of-10 going in from three. Meanwhile, Demetre Roberts went 10-for-23 from the floor.
• Bentley out rebounded St. Thomas Aquinas 36-27 in 40 minutes of action, with Grant Singleton grabbing five boards for the Spartans.
• STAC picked up six steals in the contest, with Bentley turning the ball over on 15 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over the Falcons: Points off Turnovers (23-9), Second Chance Points (13-9) and Fastbreak Points (6-4).
• The loss by St. Thomas Aquinas snapped team's 16 game win-streak, dating back to January 23.
• Demetre Roberts and Grant Singleton were each named to the East Regional All-Tournament team.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A nip and tuck affair between the teams for the first four minutes of play, produced a four-point STAC advantage at 11-7.
• The Spartans then went on a 5-3 run to lead 16-10, but Bentley would come back to only trail by one, 19-18 with just over 11 minutes to play before halftime.
• STAC went on another run, this time 6-0, to go up by six (25-19), but the host Falcons battled back and eventually took a four-point lead of their own, 31-27.
• Just minutes before the halftime buzzer, St. Thomas Aquinas regained its lead via a 10-2 run to close the stanza, taking a 37-33 advantage into the locker room at the break.
• Osbel Caraballo and Grant Singleton paced the Spartans with 10 points first half points each, while Mason Webb led all scorers with 12 points for Bentley.
• To start second half action, Bentley did not take long to tie up the game at 37 all, before going on a 12-2 run to lead by 10, 49-39.
• The Falcons built a 17-point margin at 61-44, its largest advantage of the contest, with nine minutes left to play in regulation.
• STAC closed the gap on the scoreboard to just five (69-64) with three minutes to go, and the Spartans fouled in order to stop the clock and regain possession of the basketball.
• However, Bentley went 11 for 12 at the foul line down the stretch to seal the 82-75 victory and capture the East Region crown.  

2022 NCAA EAST REGIONAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Saturday, March 12 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: #6 New Haven 78 vs. #3 Saint Anselm 70 (BOX SCORE)
Game 2: #7 St. Thomas Aquinas 76 vs. #2 Franklin Pierce 69 (BOX SCORE)
Game 3: #8 Felician 63 vs. #1 Bentley 95 (BOX SCORE)
Game 4: #5 Pace 77 vs. #4 Dominican 64 (BOX SCORE)

Sunday, March 13 - Semifinals
Game 5: #7 St. Thomas Aquinas 71 vs. #6 New Haven 61 (BOX SCORE)
Game 6: #5 Pace 84 vs. #1 Bentley 96 F/OT (BOX SCORE)

Tuesday, March 15 - Championship
Game 7: #7 St. Thomas Aquinas 75 vs. #1 Bentley 82 (BOX SCORE)