Justin Brown's two free-throws with 2.1 seconds remaining propelled the St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team to a 68-66 overtime victory in an East Coast Conference battle at Dowling College. Omar Kellman led the Spartans with a game-high 23 points to snap a three game skid and improve to 4-13 overall, 4-5 conference while Dowling fell to 7-10, 4-5.
Kellman was a force from the opening tip, netting his team's first seven points in staking them to a 7-4 lead. Dowling would assume control, however, as a 16-3 outburst over a nearly eight minute span gave the hosts a 23-13 edge with less than seven minutes in the half. The Golden Lions recorded the final five points of the session to grab a 32-18 lead at the break.
STAC would battle back as a TJ Jones jumper closed a 15-6 burst, drawing his squad to within 40-35 with just under 13 minutes left. With the hosts straining to retain the lead, Kellman kept his Spartans afloat, with a bucket and a pair of free throws keeping the deficit at 46-41 with under seven minutes to play.
Brown would take charge down the stretch, recording 13 of STAC's next 17 points. Keying that outburst was a pair of three-pointers, including one with 2:58 left that would give his team their first lead since the early minutes at 53-50. With the Spartans apparently ready to close the game out in regulation, Austin Corwin buried a big trey off an offensive rebound with 11 seconds to go, the STAC's desparate heave was off the mark, sending the teams to their second OT contest this season.
St. Thomas Aquinas emerged with an 82-80 home victory back on December 1, but DC attempted to even the score with a pair of early leads, only to see STAC battle back yet again. Nick Lopez converted a pair of free throws to tie the score at 64-64, and hit his season high of 16 points with a spinning lay-up to put his team ahead with 1:40 left.
Corwin Austin would calmly drain a pair of free throws just 20 seconds later to draw things even at 66-66 approaching the final minute. After the squads exchanged misses, it was Brown's drive to the hoop with just 2.1 seconds remaining that drew a foul from Justin Alexander. Brown calmly sank the shots and the Golden Lions' desparate buzzer-beater was off the mark, sending the Spartans to a hard-fought triumph.
Lopez also crashed the boards with a game-high 12 rebounds, while Dowling posted four scorers in double-figures. Darian Davis (14 points), Ronald Baker (11), Alexander (10) and Evan Maxwell (10) all turned the trick for the home squad. STAC shot a torrid 68% (17-of-25) in the second half to get back into the contest and held Dowling to just 38% from the floor (24-for-64) overall. Dowling took the rebound battle by a narrow 39-37 edge.
The Spartans will return to action this Wednesday, January 30, when they hit the hardwood at Aquinas Hall for an ECC showdown with Molloy College. Game time is set for approximately 7:30 pm, as the nightcap of the double-header which starts with the women's game.