The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team overcame a 21-point first-half deficit to record a 96-80 East Coast Conference victory at Dowling College. Shaq McFarlan led the Spartans with 20 points as his team improved to 14-4 overall and 8-2 in the ECC, while dropping Dowling to 8-9, 4-6. The win also moved the Spartans into a tie for first place in the conference with LIU Post as the schedule hits the halfway point.

On Wednesday night, STAC scored a big conference win over Bridgeport while Dowling fell at the hands of Mercy, but both teams fortunes were very different in the early stages of a game that was played a day earlier than scheduled due to the impending snow storm.

Evan Maxwell was a force in the first half as the Golden Lions jumped to a stunning 41-20 lead with five minutes left in the first half. The Spartans' depth came to the fore, however, as they pressured the hosts in a frantic 23-8 run, closing the gap to a manageable 49-43 at the halftime break.

While Dowling regained the momentum in the early minutes of the second half, their 61-50 lead was not to last, as McFarlan and Justin Reyes sparked a 14-0 outburst that put the Spartans in front for the first time at 64-61 with 12:21 left. STAC would not trail again, with an incredible 76-36 outburst turning that early 21-point gap into a late 96-77 lead.

Five scorers hit double-figures for the visitors, including Chaz Watler (17 points), Reyes (16), Aaron Cust (14), and James Mitchell (11). Maxwell had 22 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, while teammate Chris Millender matched that game-high points mark.

St. Thomas Aquinas shot an unconscious 65% from the floor in the second half (24-of-37), while earning a 39-27 rebounding edge for the evening.

The Spartans return to action on Wednesday, January 27, traveling to Queens College for an ECC showdown, followed by a trip to Molloy on Saturday, January 30. They will return to Aquinas Hall to host NYIT on Wednesday, February 3, with game time slated for 8:00 pm.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information