The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team held off Molloy College for a 69-65 East Coast Conference victory. Justin Reyes recorded game highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Spartans to their 1oth straight victory, a 16-4 overall record and 10-2 in ECC play. Molloy dropped to 6-14, 4-8 with the loss.

St. Thomas Aquinas retained its hold on first place in the ECC - in other games of note, NYIT upset Bridgeport and Dowling topped LIU Post, with Daemen enjoying the day off. STAC is now 10-2, Daemen 8-3, Bridgeport 7-3, and LIU Post 8-4.

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Molloy grabbed an early 8-2 lead and had the advantage through much of the first half before Chaz Watler's three capped a 13-2 Spartan run with a 31-26 edge. The Lions rallied to tie before another late Watler put the Spartans ahead, 33-31, at the break.

STAC scored the first nine points of the second half and extended their lead to as many as 13 at 48-35, but the Lions were able to claw their way back into the contest. A pair of Jaylen Morris free throws tied the score at 62-62 with 3:08 left, but Reyes answered 20 seconds later to put his team back on top. Kevin Bowles struck for Molloy to tie the score and a Spartan turnover gave the hosts a chance to take the lead but the defense held tough.

After a Brandon Williams miss, Reyes was sent back to the stripe, where his two free throws put his squad on top to stay with 1:21 left. A Morris miss was followed by Watler hitting one of two from the stripe, but Williams and Charlie Marquardt each missed potential game-tying three-point attemts in the waning seconds as STAC held on for the win.

Watler scored 12 points and James Mitchell added 10 for STAC, with Morris leading four Lions in double-figures with 20. The Spartans turned the ball over just six times on the afternoon in the win.

The Spartans hit the Aquinas Hall hardwood on Wednesday, February 3, when New York Institute of Technology visits for an ECC showdown. Game time is set for approximately 8:00 pm, after the conclusion of the women's game starting at 6:00.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden