The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team saw a 17-point lead evaporate before rallying to top Nyack College, 83-78. Matt Lee led six Spartans in double-figures with 16 points in earning their first win to improve to 1-3 on the season. Nyack fell to 2-2 with the non-conference loss.

Fresh off their defeat on Saturday night at the hands of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, STAC showed no ill effects as a 10-0 run sparked an early 16-6 lead. After the hosts drew to within three points at 16-13, the Spartans opened up again, with Aaron Cust's three-pointer capping a 20-6 surge to give his team a 36-19 lead with just under five minutes left in the first half.

Nyack would again trim into the deficit, pulling to within 37-30 on a Yahmir Greenlee bucket, but Justin Reyes' buzzer-beater staked STAC to a 45-32 halftime advantage.

STAC carried the momentum early in the second half, as a Reyes field goal with just over 14 minutes left made the score 55-39, but the Spartans' offense would suddenly run cold. Over the next eight minutes, the Warriors would embark on a 25-9 outburst, with Chris Hampton's jumper tying the score at 64-64 with six minutes to play.

A Reyes free throw put the visitors back on top briefly, but Greenlee followed with a layup to give Nyack its first lead since the opening minutes, and Khalid Samuels added another to stake the Warriors to their largest lead at 68-65 with just under five to play on the clock.

Perimeter shooting took center stage down the stretch, with James Mitchell getting the ball rolling for STAC with a game-tying trey, only to be matched by Samuels on the ensuing possession. Lee would connect from downtown to tie the score at 71-71 with 3:40 remaining, and an offensive foul on Nyack would set the stage for Marcus Henderson reclaiming the lead for STAC with another bomb, with just under three minutes to play.

Nick Moore sank two foul shots for the Warriors to cut the deficit to 74-73, but Henderson would strike again with the Spartans' fourth straight three-pointer, and a Chaz Watler layup with a minute to play provide a cushion that STAC would not relinquish.

Balance was the key for the Spartans, with Lee (16 points), Watler (12), Alushula Odongo (12), Reyes (11), Henderson (11) and Mitchell (10) recording double-figures. Henderson also dished out seven assists and added five steals in a strong effort. Will Robinson came off the Nyack bench for a game-high 17 points, with Samuels adding 16 and Greenlee 14.

The Spartans will be back in action this Saturday, November 29, as their participation in the NIT Tip Off Tournament wraps up with a contest at Division I Stony Brook, with game time slated for 2:00 pm. They return home on Monday, December 1, welcoming Concordia College to Aquinas Hall for a non-conference tilt with a 7:00 pm start time.