The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team reeled off its 13th straight victory in an 86-62 East Coast Conference victory over Daemen College at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans tightened their grip on first place in the ECC standings, improving to 13-2 in conference play and 19-4 overall, while Daemen fell to 14-7, 10-4.

STAC now holds a 2.5 game lead over Daemen in the conference standings and owns a potential tiebreaker based on their season sweep, while idle Bridgeport stands at 9-4 and a full 3.0 games back. The Spartans have already secured one of the six berths to the 2016 ECC Men's Basketball Tournament, and need just three victories in their final five games to clinch a first-round tournament bye.

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While the fanfare leading to the opening tip highlighted a battle between the top two teams in the conference standings, there was surprisingly little drama. Jules deCourtenay hit a pair of field goals to cap a game-opening 12-0 run with less than three minutes elapsed, and frantic full-court pressure forced five Wildcat turnovers in the first four minutes, which saw the hosts blast open an 18-2 lead.

By the midway point of the half, the Spartans held a commanding 31-7 cushion and the gap would top out at 48-14 before the half ended with the hosts enjoying a 29-point margin. The final result was never in doubt from that point as STAC's lead reached as many as 36 points, while the final 24-point margin was as close as the Wildcats were to come in the second half.

Justin Reyes and James Mitchell posted game-highs of 15 points each for STAC, with Jules deCourtenay adding 14 and nine boards. Shaq McFarlan recorded 10 points while also dishing nine assists. Torrence Dyck was Damen's lone scorer in double-figures with 12. The Spartans owned a commanding 47-31 advantage on the glass, and STAC shot an even 50% from the floor (36-for-72) while holding their opponents to just 35% (18-52).

The Spartans continue this three-game home stand on Saturday, February 13, when Roberts Wesleyan College pays a visit for a 4:30 start as the back end of a double-header following the women's game at 2:00. STAC then hosts Mercy College for another ECC twin-bill on Tuesday night, with games starting at 6:00 and 8:00 pm.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information