The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team plays Daemen College for the ECC Tournament Championship. Tip time is set for 2:54 and you can follow all the action HERE!
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4:51 - IT'S OVER! The St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans are the 2015-16 East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Champions!
4:45 - Mitchell Watler attacks the basket. The STAC faithful are starting to feel it. 2:24 left, STAC 74-59.
4:41 - Final media time out of regulation, crunch time. Daemen will shoot a pair from the line coming out. The Spartans are 3:32 from their first ever ECC Championship; STAC 69, Daemen 57.
4:38 - Anxious moments, Daemen has scored just 10 second half points but the Spartans have not dealt the knockout blow. Xavier Long hits a three to give the Wildcats life at 66-55, 4:55 left.
4:35 - Watler goes to the bench with his 4th foul with 6:19 left, Dyck makes 1-of-2 to draw within a dozen.
4:31 - Media time out, Daemen getting cold from outside, perhaps fatigue setting in. Watler with 18 points, Reyes with 15 points, 15 rebounds. Wildcats ball with 6:59 left, Spartans lead 64-51. Time will soon become a factor...
4:29 - Lawton strokes a right-side three, Reyes comes up with a monster block, Lawton goes to the floor but can't save. Daemen ball but the STAC fans are energized. 8:30 left, 64-51.
4:27 - Off a steal, Jaleo Wilkes goes to the floor and calls a time out - Daemen now has one remaining. 9:22 left, 61-51.
4:24 - Midpoint of the half, teams going to the floor hard. STAC ball, leading 61-51.
4:17 - After STAC opens a 16-point edge, Dyck buries a right-corner trey. Here come the Wildcats again. Reyes to the line after the media timeout -11:22 left, Spartans lead 60-51.
4:15 - Wilson is whistled for his 4th; Mehmetaj hits a pair with 12:18 left, Spartans lead, 60-48.
4:13 - Dyck is fouled going to the hoop and hits a pair, the Wildcats first points with 13:22 left. 58-44 STAC.
4:09 - Daemen has turned the ball over just six times in the first 24 minutes, but the Spartans come up with steals in successive possessions. McFarlan drills a left-corner three off a Wildcat miss, time-out Daemen, 14:23 left, Spartans open a 56-42 lead. Daemen is 0-0f-11 in the second half.
4:07 - Watler lay-up, McFarlan steal, Watler lay-up. Media time out on a held ball, Daemen possession coming out, 51-42 with 15:08 left. The Wildcats have yet to score in this half.
4:03 - STAC cruised by 27 against Post yesderday. Daemen played late in an OT win over Mercy. Rest vs. Rust? Fatigued vs. Battle-tested? 47-42, 16:23 left... Long way to go in this one
4:00 - After nearly two scoreless minutes, McFarlan hits the first bucket with 18:02 left. 45-42.
3:56 - Halftime foul trouble - STAC, Wilson 3; McFarlan, deCourtenay, Berlin 2 each. Daemen, Dyck, Sarkis, Lalka 2 each. Watler, Reyes, Dyck, Mehmetaj have 12 points apiece, Reyes has 10 rebounds. Spartan ball to start the second half.
3:43 - McFarlan has one rattle out at the buzzer, but Daemen has rallied to draw to within 43-42, as the ECC title is 20 minutes - or more - away.
3:38 - Lalka and Mitchell exchange threes, Mitchell hits another as the fan sections start to compete. Business is picking up, Spartans lead 43-37 with 1:43 left.
3:34 -Mehmetaj is strong with nine points and will go to the line looking for the three-point play after the media time out. 3:44 in the half, STAC 38-33.
3:31 - Reyes stops the bleeding with a power move, he has 12 points and six boards with 5:00 to play in the half. 36-31, STAC.
3:30 - The Spartans have run cold; Wilson picks up his third and Mehmetaj hits one to cut the deficit to 34-31, 5:43 left.
3:25 - Dan Wilson picks up his 2nd, fouls are 9-5. Daemen on a 7-0 run as Mehmetaj hits a pair, 30-23, 7:10 left.
3:21 - Lalka hits a three for Daemen and McFarlan is called for an offensive foul, his 2nd. Media timeout; STAC 30-19 with 7:58 left.
3:17 - Watler makes two straight; a beautiful finger-roll and a pull-up jumper. Spartans 24-12 midway through the half.
3:13 - The Wildcats answer with a couple of hoops and will inbound; media timeout; 11:32 left, Spartans lead 18-10.
3:11 - Reyes is on his "A" game, McFarlan drives baseline and kicks to Lawton for a right-corner three. Spartans, 18-6, time out Daemen, 12:48 left
3:06 - Reyes with another acrobatic play, another three-point play. Dyck answers with a quick trey. 11-6 STAC, 15:12.
3:03 - Dyck hits a straightaway three and Daemen is on the board. First media timeout, 15:52 left, STAC 8-3.
3:02 - Reyes goes glass and draws the contact. The and-1 makes the score 8-0, 16:55 left.
3:00 - STAC is called for its 6th foul - to none for Daemen, in 2:53. Coach Anderson gives the refs an earful.
2:57 - Jules deCourtenay picks up an offensive foul, his 2nd, and Tobin Anderson is not pleased with the officials. Justin Reyes steals the inbound and jams it. 5-0 STAC. 18:02 left.
2:55 - Each team comes up empty, but the Spartans get the offensive board and McFarlan drains a three. STAC, 3-0. 18:45 left.
2:54 - Arif Mehmetaj wins the tip, we're underway!
2:52 - Anthems done, teams on the floor. Spartans in home gold, Daemen in road black...
2:42 - Starting line-ups - STAC; James Mitchell, Chaz Watler, Justin Reyes, Shaq McFarlan, Jules de Courtenay. Daemen; Torrence Dyck, Jay Sarkis, Arif Mehmetaj, Deion Hamilton, Darius Garvin. Anthems coming shortly...
2:15 pm - The clock is running, tip should be approximately 2:53 pm. Both teams are on the court to begin warm-ups.
2:11 pm - Queens College is currently celebrating it's second consecutive ECC Women's Championship with a net-cutting ceremony. The scoreboard clock shows 38:00 to game time, and will start running when the celebration is completed.