The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team staged a late rally but fell short in a 96-83 East Coast Conference setback against the University of Bridgeport at Aquinas Hall. Senior Day honoree Justin Brown posted a game-high 27 points for STAC but the Spartans officially saw their tournament hopes ended, falling to 5-21, 5-12. Bridgeport held on to first place in the ECC standings, improving to 18-8, 14-2.
Bridgeport didn't take long to establish control, netting the contest's first 10 points in just under 2 1/2 minutes. The visitors continued their roll, with a Darian David free throw opening up a 20-4 cushion after seven minutes of play. The Purple Knights would extend that gap to as much as 37-13 before the Spartans found their footing, outscoring their foes by a 19-13 margin over the final seven minutes to enter halftime trailing, 50-32.
After the break, the Purple Knights were able to keep a comfortable distance, extending their lead to as much as 65-39 with 14 minutes to play. While the Spartans attempted to chip away, UB was still in command with a 77-57 lead with just 8:30 to play.
STAC would show an explosion of energy, with Brown leading the way, posting seven points in a 10-0 Spartan run over a span of just 67 seconds, drawing his squad to within 77-67 with over seven minutes still to play. Bridgeport would not be denied, however, as Ognjen Zoric quickly responded with a three-pointer to key a 7-0 answer that would keep the visitors comfortably ahead.
TJ Jones added 22 points and Omar Kellman added 15 and a game-high nine rebounds for STAC. Bridgeport's Darian David set the pace for his squad with 24, Ivan Simic added 23, and Dion Waiters posted 12 to go with nine assists for UB.
St. Thomas Aquinas paid tribute to seniors playing their final conference home game at Aquinas Hall, as Brown, Dane Dixon, Nick Lopez, Flynn McFadden, Charlie Van Deven and James Ockimey were honored.
The Spartans play their final home game of the 2012-13 season this Tuesday, February 26, when they host Caldwell College in a non-conference tilt. They will wrap up the season on the road with an ECC battle at Queens College on Saturday, March 2.