Staten Island, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team closed out the 2023 Tournament of Heroes on Saturday afternoon with a decisive 91-68 victory over Saint Anselm College at Dolphins Gymnasium on Staten Island.

STAC improves to 2-0 on the season, while Saint Anselm slips to 1-1.

James Patterson led the way for the Spartans, posting 23 points and 10 rebounds, while teammates Jamal Barnes (19pts) and Kyle Pulliam (13pts) also recorded double-digit point totals.

STAC shot 50.0 percent from the field (37-74), while Saint Anselm shot 42.6 percent (23-54) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Ten Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Rich Smith led the maroon and gold with five assists on the afternoon.
• James Patterson made 9 of his 15 field goal attempts, while Jamal Barnes went 8-for-16 from the floor.
• STAC out-rebounded Saint Anselm by a 45-20 margin, with Patterson grabbing a game-high 10 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up 12 steals, with the Hawks turning the ball over on 17 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in five team statistical categories over Saint Anselm: Points off Turnovers (21-10), Second Chance Points (22-8), Points in the Paint (44-22), Fastbreak Points (9-7) and Bench Points (26-11).
• The game featured three ties and three lead changes.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• STAC raced out to a 7-2 lead on the strength of a Lawrence Forman layup, Kyle Pulliam trey and a James Patterson jumper.
• Despite the quick start, Saint Anselm battled back to take two three-point leads and a pair of five-point advantages. However, the STAC attack would not be slowed with James Patterson and Kyle Pulliam keeping the Spartans in reach with big baskets. 
• A Shaun Arnold dunk tied things at 26 all, as the freshman guard welcomed himself to the party.
• Ethan Millirons broke the stalemate moments later with a three-point jumber to put the Spartans back in the lead at 29-26 with four and a half minutes to play before halftime.
• St. Thomas Aquinas scored 13 of the final 22 points to close the half and hold a 42-35 lead.
• James Patterson led all scorers with 16 first half points for the Spartans, while Saint Anselm's Keith Robinson recorded nine points.
• When the teams returned to the court for second half action, it would be the maroon and gold blowing the game wide open with a 17-0 run over the first 4:46 of the stanza to make it 59-35.
• Nine straight points by Saint Anselm cut the deficit to 14, but that disadvantage quickly ballooned back to 23 with a 9-0 Spartans run to make it 68-45.
• Down the stretch James Patterson, Kyle Pulliam, Luis Risquez, Jamal Barnes, Rich Smith, Deshawne Crim, Michael Parrotta and Shaun Arnold kept things in check with solid defense and continuous scoring to put the game out of reach 91-68.

UP NEXT:

STAC opens its home schedule on Saturday, November 18 (1:00 p.m.), taking on Post University in the 2023 Spartan Basketball Classic at Aquinas Hall in Sparkill.