The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team battled to a 97-92 victory at the College of Saint Rose on Friday afternoon. The Spartans - ranked #17 nationally in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll and #11 in the D2SIDA rankings - are now a perfect 4-0 overall, extending their win streak to seven games while Saint Rose was playing its season opener.

Note - With 1:58 remaining in the second half, Osbel Caraballo picked up a loose ball and sank a layup to record his 1,000th career point at St. Thomas Aquinas. That hoop gave STAC a 90-83 lead en route to the victory.

In a late addition to a fluid schedule which included a pair of cancelations this week, STAC elected to play the Albany contingent on the way to this weekend's set at Roberts Wesleyan College. The Golden Knights started the afternoon with a 6-0 run, but Osbel Caraballo scored six of his own in a 9-0 Spartans answer. Grant Singleton registered five straight point to give the Spartans a 14-8 lead, but the game tightened from there with Josh McGettigan's three-pointer tying the score at 31-31 with just under five minutes left in the half.

Demetre Roberts hit from deep to give STAC a 7-0 run and 38-31 margin and Caraballo's late bucket sent the visitors to intermission with a 42-37 edge. Saint Rose quickly rallied to start the second half touching off string of a dozen lead changes the rest of the way. With the Spartans holding a scant 80-79 lead with under five to play, Jamal Barnes and Louis Griffith nailed back-to-back treys to make the tally 86-79. The Golden Knights would rally again to within one possession at 90-87 in the final minute, but Kevin Lynch hit the last of 14 STAC threes on the day and Demetre Roberts calmly sank four straight at the line to deal the final blow.

Five scorers reached double-figures for STAC, including Caraballo (team-high 22 points, game-high 12 rebounds), Singleton (17 points), Roberts (15), Lynch (15), and Barnes (11). The Spartans shot a torrid 14-27 (52 percent) from beyond the arc, and Roberts added nine assists. Sean O'Dell led five Golden Knights in doubles with a game-high 23.

The Spartans continue their journey north-westward to face Roberts Wesleyan in an East Coast Conference pair on Saturday and Sunday, February 13 and 14, both with 1:00 pm tips. They travel to Mercy on Wednesday, February 17, before returning to Aquinas Hall to host Molloy College on Saturday and Sunday, February 20 and 21.