Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team returned to the friendly confines of Aquinas Hall on Friday Evening for the first time in almost seven weeks, looking to get back on track following a mini two-game skid. Despite having to repel a late charge by their ECC rivals Daemen University, the Spartans held on for a 92-82 triumph over the visiting Wildcats.

STAC improves to 12-3 overall and 4-1 in ECC play, while Daemen slips to 12-6 and 2-3. 

James Patterson led the way for the maroon and gold, recording a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, while teammates Kyle Pulliam (24 points) and Rich Smith (11 points) also posted double figures in scoring.

STAC shot 47.0 percent (31-66) from the field and 81.5 percent (22-27) from the charity stripe, while Daemen shot 43.5 percent (27-62) from the floor and 53.3 percent (16-30) from beyond the arc.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nine Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Rich Smith led the maroon and gold with eight assists on the evening.
• Patterson hit 7 of his 20 field goal attempts and was 12-of-13 from the foul line. Meanwhile, Kyle Pulliam went 9-for-13 from the floor and 3-of-6 from downtown.
• STAC out-rebounded Daemen by a 49-29 margin, with James Patterson grabbing a game-high 11 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up nine steals, with the Wildcats turning the ball over on 10 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in four team statistical categories over Daemen: Points off Turnovers (18-10), Second Chance Points (20-9), Points in the Paint (41-18) and Fastbreak Points (5-0).
• The game featured two ties and one lead change.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Daemen opened the scoring with a bucket from beyond the arc, before the maroon and gold rattled off 13 straight points in six and a half minutes of action on the strength of baskets from Kyle Pulliam, James Patterson and Lawrence Foreman to take a 13-3 advantage.
• The visiting Wildcats would cut their deficit to seven (16-9) via back-to-back threes, but a Luis Risquez jumper and Ethan Millirons trey would put the Spartans back ahead 21-9.
• Daemen then rattled off 12 straight points to knot the score at 21-21 with just under eight minutes to play in the first half.
• STAC would then score nine of the next 13 points, receiving offensive contributions from Kyle Pulliam, Jamal Barnes and James Patterson to pull ahead 30-25.
• Daemen would narrow the score to just two points (30-28) with under four minutes to play in the stanza, but a Kyle Pulliam jumper along with free throws by Jamal Barnes and Rich Smith would extend the Spartans lead to 36-28.
• Pulliam, Barnes and Vasilis Tolias would account for STAC's final nine points of the first half, as the maroon and gold took a 45-36 lead into the locker room at the break.
• Kyle Pulliam led all scorers with 19 first half points for the Spartans, while both Nick MacDonald and Josh Haskell each recorded nine points for the Wildcats.
• When the teams returned to the hardwood for second half action, it would be STAC who race out to a 6-2 run with James Patterson and Rich Smith knocking down shots to extend the hosts lead to 51-38, which also caused Daemen to burn an early timeout.
• The Spartans continued to maintain double digit leads and built its largest advantage of the game (17 points) when James Patterson's layup kissed off of the glass and went through the hoop to make it 68-51 with 11:46 to play in regulation.
• Daemen would power its back into the contest with six straight points to cut their disadvantage to 11 at 68-57 with 8:38 left to play.
• A Rich Smith jumper would push the margin to 12 (72-60), but the Wildcats continued to be a thorn in the side of the Spartans, hitting four straight free throws to narrow the scoreboard to just six, 72-66 with a little over five minutes to play.
• Kyle Pulliam knocked down a jump shot of his own to make it 74-66. However Daemen's quick 5-0 run cut the game to three at 74-71 with 3:18 left on the second half clock.
• A 9-2 run by STAC with Vasilis Tolias, James Patterson, Kyle Pulliam and Rich Smith each contributing to the Spartans' offense, extended the hosts lead to back to 10, 83-73.
• Free throws would be the story of the final minute of action for the Spartans, as Rich Smith (1-2), James Patterson (6-6) and Kyle Pulliam (2-2) combined to pick up the team's final nine points to help fend off a late charge by Daemen to close out the game for a 92-82 victory.

UP NEXT:

STAC closes out its weekend battle between Western New York and the Lower Hudson Valley, when D'Youville University pays a visit to Aquinas Hall on Sunday, January 21. The Spartans and Saints tip-off at 3:00 p.m. in Sparkill.