Sparkill, N.Y. - It was a day filled with milestone achievements for the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team on Sunday, as Jamal Barnes scored his 1,000th career point and teammate Rich Smith recorded a rare triple-double, en route to a 106-68 victory over D'Youville University at Aquinas Hall.

STAC improves to 13-3 overall and 5-1 in ECC play, while D'Youville slips to 6-11 and 3-3.

James Patterson led the way for the Spartans, recording a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, while teammates Jamal Barnes (15 points), Rich Smith (14 points, 11 rebounds & 10 assists), Kyle Pulliam (13 points) and Luis Risquez (10 points) also posted double figures in scoring.

STAC shot 50.7 percent (36-71) from the field, while D'Youville shot 41.4 percent (24-58) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Ten Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Rich Smith led the maroon and gold with ten assists on the afternoon.
• James Patterson hit 6 of his 15 field goal attempts and was 9-of-10 from the foul line. Meanwhile, Jamal Barnes went 5-for-9 from the floor and 4-of-7 from downtown.
• STAC out-rebounded D'Youville by a 44-34 margin, with James Patterson and Rich Smith grabbing a game-high 11 boards apiece for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up 13 steals, with the Saints turning the ball over on 21 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in five team statistical categories over D'Youville: Points off Turnovers (25-5), Second Chance Points (14-12), Points in the Paint (51-32), Fastbreak Points (32-2) and Bench Points (35-24).
• The game featured three ties and no lead changes.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The sides traded baskets in the first four minutes of the contest, with Rich Smith, Kyle Pulliam and James Patterson each knocking down early shots to put STAC ahead 8-4.
• D'Youville tied things up at 8-8, but the Spartans continued to push forward, scoring nine of the next 13 points to go up 17-12.
• Again, the visiting Saints would cut their deficit, this time to just two points (17-15), before a James Patterson trey and two free throws would expand the maroon and gold lead to seven at 22-15.
• A 9-2 run by STAC, which was highlighted by Jamal Barnes sinking a pair of three-pointers, including his 1,000th career collegiate point at the 9:21 mark, extended the hosts lead to 31-17.
• Baskets by Luis Risquez and Shaun Arnold helped break up mini rallies by the Saints, with James Patterson, Kyle Pulliam, Rich Smith and Jamal Barnes all continuing to add to their totals as well down the stretch.
• A D'Youville jump shot in the final minute of the first half would cap the scoring for both teams, but STAC controlled the pace of play and the margin on the scoreboard, taking a 50-37 lead into the locker room at the break.
• Trayton Trice led all scorers with 14 first half points for the Saints, while Jamal Barnes recorded 12 points in the stanza for the Spartans.
• When the teams returned to the hardwood for second half action, STAC struck for seven of the first 10 points to start the frame. Kyle Pulliam, James Patterson and Lawrence Foreman hit shots to make it a 57-40 game.
• The Spartans continued to pile up points, going on a 10-4 run, courtesy of Foreman, Smith, Patterson and Zion Ruckard to blow the game open at 67-44 with 14 minutes left in regulation.
• Luis Risquez and Vasilis Tolias added their offensive abilities to the mix as well, while Shaun Arnold and Ethan Millirons helped to put the Spartans at the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season.
• Jordan Green's six straight points late in the second half gave STAC its largest lead of the contest (38 points) at 106-68, which would be the final result.

UP NEXT:

STAC continues its four-game homestand, hosting the University of the District of Columbia on Wednesday, January 24. The Spartans and Firebirds will clash inside of Aquinas Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m.