The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team fell by an 81-77 count in an East Coast Conference contest against the University of Bridgeport at Aquinas Hall. Chaz Watler had 16 points and Omar Kellman had 14 points, 14 rebounds for STAC, which fell to 10-9 overall and 6-7 in the ECC, while Bridgeport improved to 10-9, 8-5.

On a pair of early Marcus Henderson three pointers, the Spartans jumped to an early lead, extending their margin to as many as 12 points. With JoJo Swift leading the way, the visitors trimmed that deficit to 40-32 at the half.

Bridgeport came out on fire after the break, hitting four treys but the Spartans held the lead until the waning minutes. Kellman's fifth foul, followed minutes later by Alshula Odongo fouling out, opened the door for the Purple Knights to take charge, putting the game away with strong free throw shooting in the final minutes.

Henderson added 14 points for St. Thomas Aquinas, while Swift led Bridgeport with a game-high 23 points. Ivan Simic and Sean Berry added 15 apiece for UB, snapping the Spartans' three-game winning streak.

The Spartans will now take their act on the road for the next three games, playing at Dowling (2/8), Queens (2/12) and Molloy (2/15). They return to Aquinas Hall to host NYIT on Wednesday, February 19 with tipoff set for 7:30 pm.