The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team earned its 15th straight victory, a 79-44 East Coast Conference victory over Mercy College at Aquinas Hall. STAC's defense held Mercy to just 29% from the field on the night as the Spartans matched last season's win total in improving to 21-4 overall. Mercy battling for an ECC Tournament berth, fell to 11-11 overall and 8-8 in the conference.

STAC has also now won 13 straight in conference play to improve to 15-2, and extended its lead to 3.0 games over idle Daemen College (11-4), which hosts Roberts Wesleyan on Wednesday night. Also idle was UDC (11-5) which travels to face Mercy on Thursday night, while Bridgeport dropped to 9-6 with a setback at Dowling.

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In addition, the Spartans - ranked #6 in the D2SIDA East Region Poll - await the release of the first NCAA Regional Rankings of the season, set for Wednesday, February 17. St. Thomas Aquinas is in search of its first appearance among the region's top 10.

Both teams set a high tempo early, though points were difficult to come by. Taseem Lyles gave Mercy a 6-3 lead four minutes in, and Daniel Wilson scored at 14:24 to give STAC a 9-7 edge, setting off a stretch of over two minutes without a point.

Gerald McClease hit a three to put the Mavericks in a 14-12 lead midway through the half, when the Spartan offense finally caught up to its defense. Chaz Watler got the ball rolling with a three pointer to put his team in front, and by the time Justin Reyes bookended the rally with 5:15 left, the Spartans had bolted to a 13-0 run, grabbing a 25-14 edge.

From there, STAC's relentless pressure wore down the fesity Mavericks, as a 42-25 halftime gap exploded on the strength of an 18-2 run, with Mercy going nearly eight minutes between field goals and staring at an insurmountable 62-29 deficit with over 11 minutes to play. It was academic from there as the Spartans won their third game on home court in six days, with an astounding average victory margin of 32.7 points per game.

Aaron Cust came off the bench for 11 STAC points, while Jon Lawton also netted 11 to go with his six assists. Raphael Jennings was the only Maverick in double-figures with 10 points, as Mercy shot just 15-51 overall from the floor. STAC grabbed 51 rebounds to Mercy's 38, while the Mavs went just 11-27 from the foul line (41%).

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Spartans will take their act on the road for the next two, starting at the University of the District of Columbia on Sunday, February 21 at 5:00 pm. They will then travel for an ECC Final rematch against the University of Bridgeport on Wednesday, February 24, before playing their final home game when Dowling College visits Aquinas Hall on Saturday, February 27. Senior Day festivities will precede the 3:30 pm tipoff.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden