The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team couldn't get the offense in gear, falling at the University of Bridgeport, 81-49. Dane Dixon and Irin Stark posted 12 points each for the Spartans, who suffered their sixth straight defeat and ninth in 10 games overall. The Spartans playoff hopes officially ended with the defeat, as they stand at 8-17 overall, 4-11 in the East Coast Conference. While STAC could still tie Molloy in the final standings, they would still be eliminated based on tiebreakers. Bridgeport is locked into the #3 seed for the upcoming ECC tourney, improving to 16-9, 11-4.

After a Nick Lopez layup gave the Spartans a 6-5 lead at the 15:53 mark, the Purple Knights charged to an incredible 34-2 run to seize control. The hosts reeled off 26 straight points before a Ronnie Bethea trey, and STAC was held to just eight points over the first 18 minutes, including a span of over 14 minutes without a field goal. The final score was all but academic as Bridgeport entered the locker room with a dominant 43-15 advantage.

The Purple Knights featured four scorers in double-figures, led by Hakeem Rodriguez' game-high 17. William Harrison (16), Dante Menter (13) and Darian David (11) all filled the scoresheet for the hosts, who outshot the Spartans from the field, 44% (30-68) to 30% (15-50). Bridgeport owned the glass all evening, more than doubling STAC by a 62-29 count.

Just one game remains in the 2011-12 season, as the Spartans close out against Mercy College this Saturday, February 25 at Aquinas Hall. Both the men's and women's squads will participate in Senior Day festivities preceding their respective games. Women's action is set for a 1:00 pm tip-off, followed by the men's game. If you can't make it to Aquinas Hall, be sure to follow all the action via video and Live Stats by clicking on the appropriate links on the schedule.