The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team rallied from a 16-point second half deficit to defeat Mercy College, 77-71 in an East Coast Conference showdown. Chaz Watler continued to wield the hot hand, recording a game-high 24 points for the Spartans, who won their fifth straight game to improve to 5-1 overall, 2-0 ECC. Mercy dropped to 0-5, 0-1 with the setback.

Watler was one of four scorers in double-figures for the Spartans, who rallied from a halftime deficit for the fourth time in their five wins. During that five-game span, STAC has been outscored by opponents by 25 points in the first half, while rebounding to outscore their foes by a total of 67 points in the second half and overtime.

STAC appeared ready to write a different script, jumping out to an early 15-8 lead after a three-pointer from Marcus Henderson. Mercy returned fire with a 16-6 run of their own, to take a three- point lead with seven minutes left in the first half.

After the Spartans rebounded to take back the lead at 27-26, the Mavericks when on a stunning 11-0 run over a two minute span, leading to a 41-31 halftime bulge.

Mercy continued its momentum after the break, opening up a 49-33 advantage after four minutes of action, courtesy of six straight points from LeBrandon Smith. With eight minutes to play, the Mavericks looked to still be in charge, sporting a 63-51 gap. As they have already done so often in this young season, the Spartans would display that the game was far from over.

A Matt Darnell jumper followed by an Aaron Cust lay-up got the ball rolling, as STAC turned up the pressure and Mercy went cold, leading to a decisive 26-5 run. During that outburst over a seven-minute span, Watler recorded eight points, Marcus Henderson added seven, and Cust put in six, as the Spartans continued their pattern of finishing with a flurry.

In addition to Watler, Henderson added 14 points after missing the previous two games, Omar Kellman added 13 to go with a game-high 13 rebounds, and Cust posted 10, offsetting Mercy's Nate Stitchell, who had 15. Once again, free throw shooting was decisive, as the Spartans went an impressive 25-of-26 (96%) compared to the Mavs at 13-20 (65%). The Spartans also enjoyed a 41-38 edge in rebounding.

The Spartans return to Aquinas Hall this Monday, December 2, when they take on Felician College in a 7:00 pm tip-off. Monday's game is also the start of the Athletic Department's Toys for Tots drive, in which fans are asked to deposit a new, unwrapped toy in the Aquinas Hall lobby, to assist those in need during the hoilday season.