The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team dropped a tough 68-62 overtime loss at LIU-Post in an East Coast Conference battle. Chaz Watler led four Spartans in double-figures with 18 points as his team fell to 7-8 overall and 4-2 in the ECC, with Post improving to 6-7, 1-4.

STAC struggled at the outset, failing to score over the game's first 4:30 while Post built a 9-0 lead. The Spartans would battle back to tie the score at 16-16 on a Jon McNair three-pointer and eventually took a 26-25 edge before settling for a 29-29 deadlock at half.

Watler would give the Spartans an early lead after the break and STAC opened a 36-31 advantage. The offense would again run cold however, going scoreless for over four minutes while the Pioneers retook the lead with a 7-0 burst.

Post held a 55-52 lead into the final minutes when another McNair trey tied the score with 1:06 left. STAC would eventually get a chance at a final possession and Watler was fouled but proceeded to miss both free throws with four seconds left, sending the contest to overtime.

Foul shooting had cost St. Thomas Aquinas throughout the game, but the Spartans reeled off six straight to take a 62-60 lead with 1:48 left in the extra session. That would be their last scoring as the hosts responded with the contest's final eight points from the line without a miss. Post went 26-31 (84%) from the stipe with STAC settling for 17-27 (63%).

Joining Watler among Spartan scoring leaders were Aaron Cust (15 points), Shaq McFarlan (12) and McNair (10). Post's Tyuan Williams was a decisive factor in the contest, leading in points and rebounds with 20 and 11 respectively.

The Spartans are now off until Friday, when they host Daemen College in another ECC showdown. The men's game is the back end of a double-header following the women's contest - the Lady Spartans tip off at 6:00 pm, followed by the men's game at approximately 8:00.