The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team cruised to its 14th straight victory, a 96-57 East Coast Conference decision over Roberts Wesleyan at Aquinas Hall. Justin Reyes scored 24 points and grabbed 14 boards for STAC, which now stands at 20-4 overall, while RWC fell to 6-15, with a 3-12 conference mark.

With four games to play in the regular season, the Spartans solidified their grip on first place in the ECC with a 14-2 mark. With a victory at Mercy, Daemen improved to 11-4 while UDC stands at 11-5 after defeating Bridgeport, which is now 9-5. STAC needs just two wins in those four games to clinch the top seed in the ECC Tournament.

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Keeping with their recent pattern, the Spartans were quick to establish the tempo, with Reyes scoring on the first possession just 21 seconds in, touching off an 11-0 STAC run. A Quinn Carey three-pointer trimmed Roberts' deficit to 18-12 with 12:43 left in the half, but a Reyes tip-in capped a 10-0 burst to open a 28-12 gap midway through.

Shaq McFarlan reeled off five straight points to extend the cushion to 46-25, though Tyrel Dixon's late three-pointer brought the Redhawks to within 53-36 at half.

McFarlan and Reyes opened the second stanza with hoops, but the 21-point lead was quickly trimmed as Marcus Gooding's trey finished a 9-0 Roberts outburst, narrowing the count to 57-45 four minutes in. After an exchange of field goals made the score 59-47, the Spartans would end any thoughts of an upset in decisive fashion.

James Mitchell's jumper ignited a 22-0 Spartan deluge over the next 7:40 to break the game open. By the time Tremaine Carter's jumper found net with 2:52 to play, Roberts Wesleyan had been held without a field goal for a span of 12:55, and STAC's 31-5 dominance over that stretch was more than enough to cruise to the finish. The 39-point victory marks the Spartans' largest in the Division II era, toping the 37-point margin recorded against Georgian Court on January 2 (101-64 at Aquinas Hall).

Chaz Watler recorded 15 points in just 19 minutes of action, while McFarlan added 13, and Sam Berlin chipped in eight points, 11 rebounds and four rejections for St. Thomas Aquinas. Tyrel Dixon and Zach Panibianco paced RWC with 12 points each. STAC dominated the glass to the tune of 44-27 in rebounds, and the hosts shot a stellar 59% (42-for-71) from the field while holding the Redhawks to just 35% (19-54)

The Spartans return to action on Tuesday, February 16, hosting an ECC tilt against Mercy College. Game time is 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