The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team staged a second half rally but were held off in an 83-60 East Coast Conference setback at the University of Bridgeport. Omar Kellman posted 13 points and nine rebounds for the Spartans, who fell to 6-3 overall and 2-1 in ECC play, while Bridgeport improved to 5-5, 3-1.

Bridgeport opened up a 12-8 lead early but the Spartans roared back in a fast paced start for both teams. Chaz Watler's bucket put the visitors ahead at 15-14 just over eight minutes into play. An Ivan Simic three-point-play put the Purple Knights back on top briefly, but Marcus Henderson responded with a three-pointer to give STAC an 18-17 a minute later.

That impressive start for the Spartans would come to a halt, however, with Bridgeport running off the next nine points to take a lead they would not relinquish.

An Eli Maravich three-pointer brought STAC to within 30-25, but the Purple Knights would run off the next 10 points over a three minute span, opening a 15 point margin before taking a 42-28 lead into the locker room at the half.

Sean Berry's opening-minute hoop would expand that margin, but STAC would rally to draw to within 49-39. Once again, the hosts would catch fire, with an 11-point run opening the lead to a game-high 21 points.

Continuing the second-half spirit they have shown throughout the season thus far, the Spartans would battle back once again, with a Jonathan McNair trey bringing STAC back to within 63-53 with 5:49 still to play. Bridgeport would answer quickly, scoring the next six points and closing out the evening with an 11-2 run to seal the deal.

Four scorers posted double-figures in the high-powered Purple Knights' offense, paced by  Simic (16 points), Sean Berry (14), Ognjen Zoric (11), and JoJo Swift (10). Marcus Henderson dished out seven assists with just one turnover in running the point for the St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Spartans return to action this Saturday, December 21, when they host Dowling College in an East Coast Conference showdown at Aquinas Hall. Game time is set for 3:00 pm, as the back end of a double-header with the women's game starting at 1:00 pm.