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As it Happens: #5 Spartans Hold off Merrimack, 73-70; Play Saint Rose in Final Tuesday Night

As it Happens: #5 Spartans Hold off Merrimack, 73-70; Play Saint Rose in Final Tuesday Night

The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team meets #8 Merrimack College in the NCAA Division II East Regional Semi-finals at Henniger Center in Syracuse, NY. Tip at 7:30 pm, follow the action here!

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9:15 - Boulter misses a three to tie, McFarlan is fouled on the rebound with 8.2 left. He misses both both a frantic three at the buzzer is off. THE SPARTANS ARE PLAYING ON TUESDAY!

9:14 - Reyes muscles his way to the hoop and his finger roll with the shot clock winding down makes the score 73-70, 21.2 left. Timeout STAC, their last.

9:13 - Watler is called for a tough block, his 4th, with 49.8 left. Boulter misses the first, makes the second. 71-70.

9:11 - Reyes misses a foul line jumper, Merrimack calls time with 1:07 left, down by two. Each team is in the double bonus, each one timeout left, next jump ball goes to STAC.

9:08 - McLaughlin hits a pair of threes around two Reyes free throws, but Reyes hits a righty lay-up and is fouled, completing the three-point play. 71-69 STAC with 2:00 left.

9:04 - A beautiful halfcourt set ends with Mitchell's perfect feed to Reyes, slicing the baseline for an emphatic dunk. Coach Anderson calls time, he has one left. 4:10 to go, 66-63 Spartans.

9:03 - McLaughlin makes a pair and Merrimack has scored seven straight, 64-43 with 4:23 left.

9:00 - Spartans looking tentative on offense and Merrimack takes advantage as a three-point play by Barry cuts the gap to 64-61 with 5:00 left. Anxious moments.

8:56 - Cust misses a three as shot clock expires but McFarlan grabs the carom. Another miss results in another Sparttan offensive rebound as the ball goes out. Media timeout with 7:06 left, Spartans ball, 64-56.

8:52 - Off a Merrimack miss, the Spartans run the floor and Watler finds McFarlan with a perfect seam pass for a lay-up, and a quick turnover leads to an easy Mitchell bucket. Just like that, it's 62-53 STAC, timeout Merrimack with 9:11 left.

8:51 - Spartan Army with a chant of "Let's Go STAC" but Cust's three from the left corner rattles out. 58-53 STAC with 9:49 left.

8:45 - McFarlan is fouled in the act, the Spartans are attacking the glass and have drawn eight fouls this half to just four for Merrimack. Media timeout, 11:50 left, 53-51 STAC. Boulter has a game-high 16, Reyes 15, Mitchell 14.

8:44 - Reyes strong to the hoop with the nice left hand touch, but misses the and-one. Boulter with a three from the top of the arc. 53-51 with 12:05 left.

8:42 - Boulter drains a left corner three, and Anthony Barry makes a pair from the line, quick Warrior answer cuts the gap to 49-48 with 13:25 to go.

8:39 - McFarlan is fouled and makes one-of-two, Spartan pressure forces an immediate turnover. Merrimack played a tense overtime victory over host LeMoyne last night, and the Spartans look to be wearing them down. Watler hits for a 49-43 lead, still a long way to go at 14:34.

8:37 - Two free throws and the Spartans match their biggest lead, 46-43.

8:35 - Mitchell hits a 12-foot baseline fallaway and the Spartans have their first lead since the first 1:20 of play. STAC forces another turnover and Mitchell is fouled, he'll go back to the line after the media timeout with 15:39 left, 44-43 STAC.

8:31 - Spartans squander three chances to take the lead, Warriors answer with four straight but Reyes hits a putback, and Kyle Howes is whisteled for his fourth with 16:39 left. Mitchell to the line makes one-of-two, 43-42 Merrimack, 16:39 left.

8:29 - Mitchell ties the game with a long two, first time STAC has been even since the opening minute.

8:27 - Teams take the floor. Twenty minutes (or more) to Tuesday....

8:25 - Reyes is tied for game high with 11 points and leads rebounders with six at the break. Cust with nine, Mitchell with seven for the Spartans. Barry off the bench with 11 for Merrimack, Boulter and McLaughlin with eight each. Merrimack ball to start the second half, same five starters for each team.

8:12 - STAC is getting the tempo up and it looks to be taking its toll on Merrimack. Cust misses a lay-up and a putback by McLaughlin is just after the buzzer, but the Spartans have trimmed an 11-point deficit to just 39-37 at the intermission. Long way to go in this one.

8:08 - Koziol hits another trey off great ball movement, pressure forces a turnover and, finally, a foul on Merrimack. Reyes with a thunderous dunk in traffic brings the Spartan bench alive, 39-35 with 1:48 left, turnover on Merrimack.

8:07 - Reyes hits a floater in close and a trap at midcourt forces a Warrior timeout, 37-30, 3:04.

8:04 - Merrimack has gone 10 minutes without a foul, last eight called on the Spartans. McFarlan also has two. Media timeout, 37-28 Merrimack, 3:36 left.

7:59 - Boulter hits a putback and a deep three as the momentum swings back, timeout STAC, 35-26 Merrimack with 5:26 to go.

7:56 - Boulter's first points of the game are a three from the right side, but Watler answers with a floater. STAC has gotten some stops, playing with confidence as Warriors have scored two points in the last four minutes. Media timeout, 30-26, Merrimack, 6:19 left.

7:54 - Six straight fouls called on STAC, Cust picks up his second but Koziol hits a three and Mitchell follows with another to cut the gap to 27-24 with 7:42 left. Spartans have momentum for the first time in the game.

7:50 - Cust hits a left-corner three and Reyes comes up with a big perimeter block, but Anthony Berry hits a trey with the shot clock expiring. 23-14, Merrimack. Spartans have turned the ball over seven times, forcing just one to this point.

7:47 - Cust scores on a strong move, Spartans force a miss but turn the ball over trying to start the transition. Media timeout, 11:40 left, 20-11, Merrimack.

7:44 - Hayes picks up his second foul, total was 5-1 in STAC's favor, but two quick whistles on the Spartans narrow the gap. Spartans ice cold from the field.

7:41 - Juvaris Hayes with a steal and a lay-up makes the score 16-7, timeout STAC, 14:02 left.

7:40 - Warriors are moving the ball well, no turnovers, while the Spartans are held for a shot clock violation. 14-7, Merrimack, 14:19 left.

7:36 - Merrimack's zone is giving the Spartans problems, and McLaughlin hits another three. Mitchell answers for the Spartans, 12-7, Merrimack, 15:28 left, media timeout.

7:35 - McLaughlin hits a three from the left corner to give Merrimack its first lead, 7-5 with 17:05 left in the first.

7:31 - Merrimack employs its trademark 2-3 zone; the Spartans take 17 seconds to open it as Justin Reyes takes a feed from Watler and is fouled for a three-point play. Warriors answer quickly, 3-2, STAC.

7:30 - A solid 2/3 of the crowd in attendance represents the Spartan Army. Ready for the tip. Won by Reyes, we're underway.

7:20 pm - STAC starters; James Mitchell, Chaz Watler, Justin Reyes, Aaron Cust, Jules de Courtenay. Merrimack; Juvaris Hayes, Troy McLaughlin, Tawayne Anderson Jr, Kyle Howes, Ryan Boulter.

7:17 pm - about 10 minutes to tip, teams warming on the court. Tonight's winner faces #3 College of Saint Rose, which scored a convincing 67-47 victory over #7 Southern Connecticut State Univeristy in this evening's first contest, Tuesday at 7:00 pm. Lineups to follow...