The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team staged a second-half rally but came up short in a 74-65 setback against NYIT at Aquinas Hall. Justin Brown led STAC with 14 points as his Spartans fell to 3-11 overall and 3-3 in the East Coast Conference. NYIT improved to 11-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play.

Coming off a come-from-behind victory at Mercy on Saturday, the Spartans struggled to get their offense going and Tech took full advantage, opening a 20-10 lead midway through the first half. That margin increased to 28-15 on a Kayvon Roberts dunk at the six minute mark. STAC rallied for the next six points to draw closer, but the Bears roared off the final ten points of the half to extend a comfortable 40-23 lead at the break.

That lead grew to as many as 20 but the visitors were unable to land the knockout blow, despite retaining a comfortable 56-40 lead with under nine minutes remaining. The Spartans would finally find their touch, with Sam Wilson capping a 15-6 run to close the deficit to 62-55 with still over five minutes to play. STAC was able to draw as close as six at 65-59 with 2:31 left, but missed opportunities and empty trips proved to stall their comeback as the Bears were able to hold on for the win.

Sean James added 13 points for the Spartans, while Roberts and Dominic Scurry paced five Bears in double-figures, tying for game-high with 16 points. Marcus Moore (15 points), Phil Izevbehai (11) and Antoine Brown (10) rounded out the balanced attack.

This Saturday, January 19, the Spartans hit the road to take on the University of Bridgeport in an ECC matchup. They will return to Aquinas Hall next Wednesday, January 23, hosting LIU-Post in a 7:30 pm start, after the conclusion of the women's contest.