The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team suffered a hard-fought 92-83 setback at the hands of Molloy College in an East Coast Conference tilt. Alshula Odongo led all scorers, pouring in 27 for the Spartans, who stand at 11-11 overall and 6-9 in the ECC, with Molloy improving to 14-10, 11-5.

With NYIT's loss to Bridgeport, the Spartans remain tied with NYIT for fifth place among the teams elibible for one of the six post-season ECC Tournament berths. Idle Queens remains in 7th at 5-11, two full games behind STAC with four games remaining. The Spartans also own the season tiebreaker by virtue of sweeeping the season series.

The contest was an evenly-fought affair in the first half, which saw multiple lead changes before the Lions were able to grab a 41-38 lead at the halftime break. STAC's biggest lead was an early five-point edge, while Molloy's halftime margin equaled it's biggest cushion to that point.

With the game in the balance entering the final minutes, Molloy took off on a 14-5 run, turning a narrow 73-68 advantage into a decisive 87-73 cushion with just over two minutes to play.

Marcus Henderson added 16 points, Chaz Watler tossed in 15, and Eli Maravich had 12 to pace the Spartan offense. John Petrucelli led five Lions in double-figures with 22 points, with Richard Zoller coming off the pine to add 18. Molloy held a decisive 45-35 rebounding advantage for the game.

The Spartans return to the friendly confines of Aquinas Hall for three of their final four regular-season games, starting with NYIT paying a visit on Wednesday, February 19 at 7:30. They then travel to face LIU-Post on Saturday, Feburary 22 before Molloy comes to town for a rematch on Monday, February 24. They close out with Roberts Wesleyan College visiting on Sunday, March 2.