The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team plays its first-ever NCAA Tournament game, today's East Region quarter-final against Southern Connecticut. Follow all the action here!
Watch the Streaming Video Here
==================
1:53 - IT'S OVER!!! STAC WINS, 92-90! On to the Next Round!!!
1:52 - Watler runs the floor and hits a left-side bank, off balance, from 12 feet out at the buzzer. It counts on the floor, but we go to the replay for the final decision. Breath held all around....
1:50 - Joey Wallace attacks the baseline but Lawton draws a charge. Time out STAC, backcourt inbound. 3.8 seconds left. Score tied at 90-90. This is as good as it gets.
1:48 - Mitchell misses the first. Makes the second. Score tied.
1:46 - Off a pair of misses, the ball is tied up with 37.7 left. Southern on the alternating possession. Mitchell is called for a reach foul on Mallory with 18.9 left. Williams makes one of two, and Mitchell is fouled battling for the rebound. 16.3 left, Mitchell to the line for two. Timeout Southern, 90-89, SCSU leads.
1:44 - McFarlan misses and is called for a rebounding foul. D. Williams ties the score with a pair, 53.2 seconds left.
1:43 - McLeod to the line, makes a pair, back to a two-point game with 1:10 left, 89-87
1:41 - Bang, bang - a pair of SCSU threes make it a five point game. Watler with a terrific finger roll off the glass, but Southern is on fire, cutting the score to 87-81 with 1:30 left.
1:39 - Reyes has 25, Watler 20, D. Williams makes a pair, he has 12 with Mallory having 23. Reyes somehow avoids a turnover and finds a wide open McFarlan for a huge hoop, 85-75, 3:00 left.
1:37 - McLeod with a nice spinner in the lane and a STAC turnover. Final media time out, Southern can put up points in a hurry, they will shoot two coming out, still plenty of time left, 83-73, STAC.
1:35 - Joey Wallace hits a left corner three to cut it to 10, signs of life for Southern. But off a Watler miss, McFarlan is on the spot to lay-in the rebound. Tobin Anderson calls time with 4:38 left, STAC leads 83-71.
1:34 - SCSU is still just off line, missing some open threes. Reyes is fouled going to the hoop, making two. 80-68, STAC, 5:43 left
1:33 - Southern has been tested by the fire of the NE-10 Conference, while the Spartans have largely cruised down the stretch of their 20 game winning streak. Who will prevail?
1;29 - Mitchell fouls Mallory from beyond the arc in the left corner, and the guard hits two of three, 74-68, 7:30 to play. Reyes backs his way and and answers with a baby hook. Off a Southern miss, it's showtime, as the Gold Wave - Maroon Edition is off to the races; Mitchell feeds Reyes for a thunderous dunk, bringing the crowd to its feet. Time out, Southern. 6:46 left, Spartans biggest lead of the game is 79-68.
1:27 - The stallions are off to the races and the officials are drawing heat from both benches as the desperation factor steps up. Media timeout. 7:51 left. STAC, 75. Southern Connecticut 66.
1:24 - Lawton hits a pair and an offensive foul on S. Williams - his 4th - gives STAC the ball and a 75-66 lead. The STAC crowd is up as Reyes is fouled off an offensive rebound and but misses a pair, 75-66, 8:24 left.
1:22 -Reyes drives the baseline, he has 19. STAC grabs a board but Lawton misses a three and Wilson fouls out with 9:05 left. 73-66 STAC, D. Williams misses the front end of the 1-and-1, 8:59 left, 73-66, STAC.
1:21 - 10:00 left and the tension is palpable.
1:18 - Steal off the inbound, Cust is all alone but blows the layup. Could be a big point in the game. Foul the other end, Mallory hits one of two, 71-66, STAC, 10:47 left. STAC ball
1:16 - The Owls have a pair of trey's narrowly rim out and the Spartans are forcing transition. Watler's uncontested lay-up gives him 20 points and STAC a 71-65 lead. SCSU ball after the media TO, 11:16 left, STAC 71-65.
1:14 - Another steal, Cust is fouled going to the hole and makes 1-of-2. STAC's pressure starting to generate turnovers. 69-65 Spartans, 12:05 left.
1:12 - Mallory with another driving layup puts his team up by a pair; he's got 20 and the Spartans are looking for answers. Watler gives them one with a left corner trey - 66-65, STAC. A turnover and Cust's breakawy lay-up is called a goaltend on Southern. 68-65, STAC. 12;36 left
1:10 - de Courtenay draws his 4th, non shooting; Mallory follows with a close floater. Cust drives the floor for a hoop and foul, free throw good. 63-63, 14:16 left.
1:10 - Reyes with a putback, and draws a charge on the defensive end. 61-60, Southern, 14:30 left.
1:07 - Wilson has picked up his 4th foul as Williams completes the three-point play, 61-58.
1:04 - Wallace with a driving lay-up but Watler answers in kind. D. Williams with a quick alley-oop in transition. D. Williams with a hoop and a foul. Media time out, 15:44 left. Williams to the line, SCSU leads, 60-58, 15:44 left. There are probably more lead changes to come...
12:40 - Mallory hits an open three from well beyond the arc, and the Owls fans are feeling it. Austin Carter with a jam off a miss, and SCSU has the lead at 48-47. Watler falls away from the right elbow at the buzzer, and the Spartans grap a 49-48 lead heading into the locker room.
12:37 - Reyes with an insane ball-fake, spinning layup. A special player, he has 13 points. 3:30 left, 42-38.
12:35 - Southern runs the floor as McCarthy and Wallace hit quick layups; timeout, STAC. 4:01 left, Spartans lead 40-37.
12:32 - The 12-day layoff may be hurting the Owls, who are struggling from the perimeter, but they are crashing the boards. Rebounding foul on de Courtenay is is 2nd. Jack McCarthy makes a pair. Dan Wilson hits a putback but is called for a technical. Mallory makes one of two, Southern ball, 40-33 with 4:28 left. The foul is Wilson's third.
12:31 - Reyes catches a feed on the baseline and from a seemingly impossible angle, finger-rolls a layup. Misses the free throw, team trade hoops quickly. 36-30 STAC, 5;40 left.
12:29 - Stefon Williams with a putback and a foul off a miss, converts the three-point play. Southern closes to within 32-28, 6:30 left.
12:25 - Cust attacks the basket for a lay-up and Joey Wallace answers with a pretty spin move. McFarlan called on a block, two shots after the media time out. 7:21 left, 32-24, Spartans.
12:23 - Dan Wilson picks up a pair of quick fouls, Isaiah McLeod hits a pair from the line and Lawton answers with a right elbow jumper. Watler with a gorgeous step-through to the hoop for a finger-roll layup, and a turnover on Southern. Pace exploding again. 8:29 left, STAC 30-22.
12:21 - Midpoint of the half, and the Spartans are more than showing they belong, with a 26-20 lead. 10:01 left after a SCSU turnover.
12:19 - Spartans' hustling defense has slowed down the high-powered Owls, keeping them off the board for over three minutes. STAC's offense starting to struggle as well, perhaps the early pace taking its toll.
12:17 - Two quick non-shooting fouls on STAC closes the gap to 5-3. Jinx rules in full effect.
12:14 - Michael Mallory's nice floater in the lane stops the bleeding. Cust misses a three but a foul on the rebound keeps the ball STAC's way at the media TO. 24-17, Spartans, 11:45 left. Refs letting them play, but the Owls have been whistled for five fouls to STAC's one.
12:12 - Out of the time out, Owls fans want a walk on Reyes, none called. Lawton strokes a three, Southern miss, Reyes runs the floor for an "and-one" - Cust with a steal off pressure and another Reyes lay-up; just like that it's 24-15, STAC. Time out, SCSU with 12:34 left.
12:10 - Whew! First media time out and even the scoreboard operator is having trouble keeping up. Watler has five points and D. Williams 7, STAC leads, 16-15 with 13:26 left. SCSU ball coming out. Long time between whistles, there will be a quick turnaround to the next media TO.
12:06 - End to end action, a tempo to both team's liking. Off a SCSU miss, Watler runs the floor with a pretty dish to Berlin for the finish and the foul. Shot misses, 12-9 STAC, 16:03 left.
12:04 - A bit sloppy for both teams early, Reyes sinks a pair of foul shots, D. Williams hits a three and S. Williams a lay-up, 7-7, Southern. Mitchell answers with a left-side three. 17:00 left
12:01 - Reyes with a beautiful give and go for McFarlan who finishes to put the Spartans up, 2-0. STAC pressing, Stefon Williams answers with a lay-up. Tied 2-2
12:00 - Right on time - high noon and we're underway, as Reyes wins the tip, STAC ball.
11:56 -Teams being introduced. as the #6 seed, STAC is in the road maroon, with #3 Southern Connecticut in the home white. Intimate setting at Holy Family, with bleachers on ly on one side, no fans behind either basket, game personnel on other side. Building seats about 1,000.
11:52 - So far, about 60 STAC faithful, adorned in Spartan t-shirts, occupy the bleachers across from the Spartan bench Included in the throng is college president, Dr. Margaret Fitzpatrick, front and center. About the same number has appeared to cheer for the Owls.
11:48 - Teams to benches for the National Anthem. Lineups to follow.
11:46 - Starters - STAC, James Mitchell, Chaz Watler, Justin Reyes, Shaq McFarlan, Jules de Courtenay. SCSU - Michael Mallory, Austin Carter, Stefon Williams, Joey Wallace, Desmond Williams. Today's battle features dueling conference Players-of-the-Year; Reyes representing the ECC, and Williams from the Northeast-10.
11:44 am - Computer glitches cleared up, teams are on the court for pregame warmup. About 15 minutes to tip. Starters to follow...