The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team won it's fourth straight contest, all on the road, in a non-conference 68-58 triumph at Felician College. Chaz Watler led the Spartans with 17 points as the team's third victory in five days improved its overall mark to 6-5, dropping Felician to 0-11.
Whether or not the recent schedule was a contributing factor, the Spartans stumbled out of the gate, trailing by an 8-1 margin after well over four minutes of play. Watler's three-pointer at the 15:25 mark was STAC's first field goal, but the offense still struggled, with the Golden Falcons holding an 18-13 lead with five minutes to play in the half.
Jules de Courtenay's jumper was the spark the Spartans were looking for, as the visitors exploded on an 18-2 run to grab an 11-point lead, and held a 31-23 lead at halftime.
Despite their winless mark and squandered lead, the Golden Falcons battled throughout, with Marko Kozul's trey cutting the gap to 42-41 with 12 minutes to play. Aaron Cust would quickly answer with a three of his own, but STAC still held a narrow 53-50 edge with just under six to play.
Marcus Henderson and James Mitchell would follow with back-to-back threes, spurring an 8-0 run that would give the Spartans all the cushion they would need to take home the win.
Henderson added 14 points and Justin Reyes posted 13 for STAC, with Jeivi Mivivululu of Felician recording game highs in points and rebounds with 18 and 11 respectively. The Spartans were strong from the foul stripe, hitting on 22-of-28 (79%) for the afternoon.
The Spartans will now enjoy the NCAA's mandatory holiday break, and finish 2014 with the first of six home games in their next seven. They will host Stonehill College on Wednesday, December 31, at 3:00 pm, as the back end of a double-header starting with the Lady Spartans taking on Southern Connecticut State University beginning at 12:30 pm.
The St. Thomas Aquinas College department of Athletics wishes you and yours a Merry Christmas and a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season!