The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team takes on #8 seeded Merrimack College on Sunday night in the semi-finals of the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament.

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For Full Schedule, Tickets and More Info, Click Here for East Region Central

For Highlights of Yesterday's Win over Saint Anselm, Click Here

The Match-Up – This is the first meeting between St. Thomas Aquinas and Merrimack since November 15, 2008, and only the second all-time. In that previous affair, at the Lowell Tip-off Classic, the Warriors claimed an 81-65 victory.

Merrimack (19-11 overall) has lost five of its last six games before stunning top seeded host LeMoyne College in Saturday's quarter final, emerging with a 72-68 overtime victory. Juvaris Hayes poured in 21 points and Ryan Boulter added 20 for the Warriors. Bouter enters Sunday's game with a team-high 18.1 ppg, supported by Hayes (14.2) and Anthony Barry (14.0).

In a battle of conference champions, St. Thomas Aquinas acquitted the East Coast Conference very well, dominating Northeast-10 Tournament champs St. Anselm, 91-72. Justin Reyes lived up to his ECC Player of the Year status with 32 points and 15 rebounds for the #5 seeded Spartans, who had five scorers in double-figures.

Rolling a Seven – STAC enters tonight’s game with a 7-game winning streak and 16-of-17 overall, after running off 10 victories to start the campaign. The Spartans were nationally ranked for much of the season, ascending as high as the #3 slot in the NABC Coaches’ Poll and were listed as Receiving Votes in this week's tally.

Fran's a Fan - ESPN hoops analyst and former Division I coach Fran Fraschilla was the featured speaker at STAC's Basketball Tip-off Dinner on October 20 at the Rockland Country Club. In his prepared remarks, Fraschilla expressed his admiration for Coach Tobin Anderson and the Spartans program, and he has continued that support during the season, including texting Anderson on NCAA Selection Sunday.

What's at Stake? - The winner advances to Tuesday's East Regional Final at 7:00 pm, taking on the winner of #3 College of St. Rose vs. #7 Southern Connecticut State, which tips at 5:00 pm. Tuesday night's champ advances to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Common Opponents - Against common opponents on this season's schedule, Merrimack carries a 9-5 overall record, while STAC comes in at 9-2. The Warriors were 2-0 against ECC opponents (Bridgeport, LIU Post), with the Spartans sporting a 5-0 mark against NE-10 foes (St. Michael's, New Haven, Stonehill, Southern New Hampshire, St. Anselm).

Not So “Neutral” – The Spartans were 4-1 on neutral hardwood a season ago, and are now 3-0 this year, with their previous two wins coming at the University of Bridgeport in last weekend’s East Coast Conference Tournament.

3-for-1,000 – In the lengthy history of the STAC men’s basketball program, which includes its powerhouse tenure in the NAIA, only 30 players have hit the 1,000 point career plateau. Three of them are in uniform tonight, with Chaz Watler (1,809), Reyes (1,459), andAaron Cust (1,049) each hitting the mark over the past two seasons.