The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team will play in its fourth consecutive East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Final, squaring off with #2 seed Molloy College at 2:30 pm Sunday in Bridgeport, CT.

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How They Got Here - As the top two seeds entering this weekend's action, both STAC (24-5) and Molloy (18-10) earned byes into Saturday's semi-finals. The Spartans advanced with an 85-66 triumph over #4 Daemen College as Chaz Watler was one of four in double-figures with a game-high 18 points. In the finale of the day, #2 Molloy captured an 89-82 decision over #3 Bridgeport, with Charlie Marquardt pouring 32 points to pace the Lions.

The Match-up - St. Thomas Aquinas swept the season series from Molloy and has won seven straight against the Lions, though this is the first post-season meeting in the four-year tenure of Head Coach Tobin Anderson.

On December 3, the Spartans traveled to Rockville Centre and emerged with a tough 72-70 victory, their seventh straight to start the season. Marquardt led all scorers with 25 while Jon Lawton posted 21 for STAC, as the Lions' last-second attempt was thwarted by a Justin Reyes steal to secure the win.

The return match at Aquinas Hall on January 21 was a high-scoring affair, with the Spartans pouring in 59 second-half points in a 103-87 triumph. Chaz Watler led the hosts with 21 in that affair, with Jaylen Morris and Curtis Jenkins sharing the spotlight for Molloy with 22 each.

Only the Beginning? - St. Thomas Aquinas is in search of its second trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament in as many seasons. The ECC Tournament Champion receives an automatic berth to the NCAAs, but, unlike last season, the Spartans' current #4 regional ranking leaves them in excellent position for an at-large bid should they not take the title. Molloy, entering the weekend as the #10 ranked team in the region, is in the running for an at-large bid, but would likely need a victory in Sunday's finale to extend its season. Location, dates and pairings for the NCAA Tournament are to be determined on Sunday night.