The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball went down to the wire before falling to LIU-Post in an East Coast Conference battle at Aquinas Hall, 92-90 in overtime. Chaz Watler led the Spartans with 21 points but his team fell to 7-7 overal, 3-5 in the ECC, while Post improved to 11-5, 6-2.
Early on, the tone was set for a wild evening with neither team holding a lead of more than three points until Post snagged a 19-14 edge over seven minutes in. The Pioneers would cap off a 16-4 run on a Vaugn Allen lay-up, putting the visitors ahead, 30-18 with eight minutes to play in the half.
Henderson would catch fire, leading the Spartans to one of their best runs of the season, with their 24-3 barrage putting the hosts up by nine points before settling with a 42-35 halftime advantage.
Post would answer quickly, tying the contest just four minutes after the break, and the tug-o-war was on. An Eli Maravich trey would put the Spartans up 57-50, only to see the Pioneers rally to take a 63-60 lead.
Chaz Watler's bucket with 2:19 left in regulation knotted the score at 74-74, the ninth tie of the game. Allen converted a free throw to put Post back on top, but Omar Kellman answered with 91 seconds left to give STAC the lead. Jared Hall would make one of two from the line to tie the score at 76-76 with a minute left, and Henderson gave his team a two-point edge on a hoop with just 38 ticks remaining.
PJ Torres would attack the basket to once again tie the game, and proceeded to steal the ball from Henderson, ending STAC's last gasp chance to win in regulation and send the affair to overtime.
Once again, the Spartans would appear ready to snatch the upset, with Henderson's basket putting his team ahead, 86-81 with 1:20 left. Dillon Burns and Torres recorded back-to-back hoops, but the visitors were still trailing by one with 23 seconds remaining. Torres would then come up with a huge steal and basket, and was fouled on the play. The "and-one" put Post up by a pair, but Chaz Watler was sent to the foul line where he drained two free throws to tie the score for the 13th and final time, 90-90.
With 11 seconds left, the Pioneers would put the ball into the hands of the player who made the big plays throughout the game, and Torres didn't disappoint, hitting the game-winner with just three seconds remaining, as Henderson's desperation heave at the buzzer missed the mark.
Henderson added 19 points for STAC, with Kellman (16) and Alushula Odongo (13) also hitting double-figures. Isiah Stokley was one of five Pioneers in double-figures with a game-high 23 points. Torres added 21 and Allen recorded 20 for Post.
The Spartans hit the road for their next two games, traveling to Buffalo to take on ECC opponents Daemen on Friday, January 24; and Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday, January 26. They then return to Aquinas Hall to meet Mercy College on Tuesday, January 28, with tip-off time at 7:30 pm as the back end of a double-header with the women's teams.