The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team had four scorers in double figures in an 88-77 victory over Concordia College at Aquinas Hall. Marcus Henderson led the charge with a game-high 19 points as STAC improved to 2-4, dropping Concordia to 1-6 overall.

Justin Reyes was a force in the second half, totalling 16 points, 15 rebounds and a pair of emphatic blocks. Chaz Watler added 15 and Aaron Cust 11 as the Spartans battled a sluggish start to open a lead of as many as 18 in the second half. Andrew Peacock led the Clippers with 15.

Both teams took turns with the lead in a first half that saw the score tied on eight different occasions. STAC finally gained some separation in the waning minutes when Cust's basket-and-one capped a 10-0 run to put the hosts ahead, 40-32. The Clippers would answer quickly with the next five points before settling with a 43-37 halftime deficit.

While Concordia was able to draw to within 48-47 on a Jalen Heath trey, the visitors were never able to draw even after the break. While the Spartans extended the margin again, they still clung to a 56-51 edge with under 13 minutes to play when St. Thomas Aquinas embarked on it's most dynamic string of play this season.

Cust started the avalanche with a sparkling move, hesitating at midcourt before exploding to the hoop for a layup to make the score 58-51. Just seconds later, Watler split the defense for a hoop and was fouled. Though his missed the free throw, he gathered his own rebound and was fouled again, sinking both for essentially a "four-point-play."

After Heath answered with a hoop for the Clippers, Watler again went strong for a basket-and-one to open a 65-53 gap. Reyes brought the crowd to its feet with a soaring block, and moments later Henderson electrified the crowd with an end-to-end scamper that resulted in StAC opening a commanding 75-56 lead with eight minutes on the clock.

Concordia remained poised, however, roaring back with a 15-2 run, trimming the score to 77-71 with four to play. Their last big opportunity came in the final two minutes when, trailing 83-77, Michael Fields' open three attempt was off the mark, and a pair of Henderson free throws was enough to seal the visitors' fate.

The Spartans will now turn their attention to East Coast Conference foes, starting with a rematch of last season's tournament Final, as STAC hosts the University of Bridgeport on Saturday, December 6 at Aquinas Halll. The game is the back end of a double-header with the women's teams squaring off at 1:00 pm, with the men's game slated to start at 3:30.