Rochester, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team repelled a late second half comeback by the Roberts Wesleyan College Redhawks to pick up its third consecutive victory, 86-81 on Saturday afternoon at the Voller Athletic Center.

Ten different players recorded a point for the Spartans (15-4, 8-1 ECC), with four scoring in double-figures. Osbel Caraballo led the way with 25 points, as Demetre Roberts and Jerrel Kelly each recorded 12 points and Jamal Barnes chipped in 11 points.

STAC shot 43.4 percent from the field (36-83) in contest, while Roberts Wesleyan shot 40.5% (30-74) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• 10 different players recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Grant Singleton led the Spartans with six assists on the afternoon.
• Osbel Caraballo made 11 of his 18 field goal attempts. Jerrel Kelly went 6-for-8 from the floor.
• STAC out rebounded Roberts Wesleyan 51-36 in 40 minutes of action, with Jamal Barnes grabbing 11 boards.
• The Spartans were 18-45 (40.0%) from the field and 18-38 (47.4%) from the floor in the second half.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up 10 steals in the game, with Roberts Wesleyan turning the ball over on 17 different occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in five team statistical categories over Roberts Wesleyan: Points off of Turnovers (20-17), Second Chance Points (20-6), Points in the Paint (54-44), Fastbreak Points (14-12) and Bench Points (39-22).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Roberts Wesleyan broke out to an early 5-0 lead to start the game, but STAC would battle to get within one at 7-6. 
• Back and forth action between the teams for the next 11 minutes resulted in the Spartans getting even with their hosts (21-21) and then take its first lead of the game 23-21 on an Elijah Bovell layup with just over eight and a half minutes to play before halftime.
• St. Thomas Aquinas would build on its lead and hold as much as a 10-point advantage (41-31) with 3:20 remaining in the stanza. However, Roberts Wesleyan closed the half on a 10-2 run to only trail by two (43-41) through the first 20 minutes of play.
• Osbel Caraballo paced the Spartans in the first half with 10 points, while Ja'Kair Sanchez, Kevon Wright and Shane Fanning recorded six points each for the Redhawks.
• In second half action, STAC's offense would come to life early, pushing their lead to 13 (61-48) with 14 minutes left in regulation. Roberts Wesleyan would again battle back, going on a 10-2 run to be within five points at 63-58 with 11 minutes to play.
• Another Spartan run got the margin back to 12 (72-60) following the 8-minute media timeout, but there was no quit in the Redhawks, as they would close the gap to just three points (77-74) with four minutes to play.
• Free throws would be the story for both teams down the stretch, with Roberts going 5-for-5 and STAC going 4-for-7. A clutch layup from Antonio Vendola (2:34) and three-point jumper by Osbel Caraballo (1:27) also helped seal the deal for St. Thomas Aquinas in the final moments of play.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College next hosts Mercy College on Wednesday, February 2 (7:30 p.m.) at Aquinas Hall Gym in Sparkill.