The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team trimmed a 20-point deficit to as little as three before falling against Pace University, 75-68 in the finale of the STAC Basketball Classic at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans fell to 0-2 after a pair of weekend setbacks, while Pace improved to 1-2 on the season.

After Pace scored the evening's first point from the free throw line, Marcus Henderson's three-pointer capped a 7-0 STAC run to put the hosts up by six. The Setters responded with force, running off the next 11 points to grab a 12-7 advantage.

Shooting woes plagued the hosts throughout the first half, as the Spartans were held to just nine points over the final nine minutes of play, taking a surprising 42-27 deficit to the locker room.

Pace continued to shine after the break, as Kyle Pearson's layup gave his team a 54-34 edge with 15 minutes to play. STAC's offense finally showed signs of life as Shaq McFarlan reeled off five straight points to cap a 7-0 run. The Setters maintained a seemingly-comfortable 61-47 edge with just over seven minutes to play when the Spartans made a serious push.

Five different Spartans scored to spur an 9-0 run, trimming the margin to 61-56 with four minutes to play. McFarlan brought his team to within 65-62 with a pair of free throws with 1:26 to play, but Shelton Mickell answered for Pace, as his drive to the hoop resulted in a hoop and a foul, with the three point play giving his team a cushion for good.

McFarlan led four Spartans in double-figures with 15 points, followed by James Mitchell (12), Matt Lee (11) and Chaz Watler (10). Pace also had four scorers in doubles, with Pearson posting a game-high 25. Mickell (19), Kahlil Brown (11) and Bryan Rivers (10) added to the attack. Pace shot a stellar 85% from the free throw line (22-26), with STAC posting just 63% (12-19).

The Spartans will now head west, as the team boards a flight to Spokane, Washington, where they will face Division I Gonzaga University in the opener of the National Invitiation Tournament. Game time is set for 9:00 pm Eastern time on Saturday, November 22.