The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team came up short in a 74-64 East Coast Conference setback against the University of Bridgeport at Aquinas Hall. Shaq McFarlan led the Spartans with 18 points but his team fell to 2-5 overall, 1-0 in conference, while Bridgeport improved to 4-3, 2-0.

In a rematch of last season's ECC Tournament final, the defending champs from Bridgeport grabbed a pair of early five-point leads but the Spartans battled back as the lead changed hands. An Alushula Odongo lay-up and a pair of free throws from Jon McNair snapped a tie, giving STAC a 37-33 edge with just under three minutes to go in the half.

Bridgeport would establish control from there, with Dominique Oneil Moorer's three pointer ending the half with a 7-0 run, giving the visitors a 40-37 lead at half. They would extend that momentum past the break, with Bryce Elie's hoop capping what would be a 16-4 outburst, putting the Purple Knights ahead, 49-41.

A McFarlan lay-up would bring the Spartans to within six but that was as close as they would get, with the visitors extending their lead to as many as 18 points down the stretch.

Chaz Watler added 13 points for St. Thomas Aquinas, while Elie was a force in the second half en route to a game-high 19 point effort. Ernest Rouse chipped in 13 for the Purple Knights, who were a torrid 9-of-15 (60%) from beyond the arc on the night.

The Spartans hit the road for their next four games starting next Saturday, December 13, with an East Coast Conference trip to Dowling College. They return to Aquinas Hall for a non-conference bout with Stonehill College on December 31.