The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team fell to its first defeat of the season, an 84-81 overtime thriller in an East Coast Conference showdown against Daemen College at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans saw their 13-game winning streak snapped and now stand at 10-1 overall and 8-1 in ECC play, while Daemen moves to 7-3, 7-1.

In a game which saw 13 lead changes and nine ties, each team led by as many as eight points in the see-saw affair. Daemen grabbed a 19-11 advantage on an Andrew Sischo three-point play with about seven minutes elapsed, but Grant Singleton's bucket capped a 14-4 burst as STAC claimed a 25-23 edge. The Spartans were poised to take the lead into the locker room but Andrew Salzburg's desperation three at the buzzer put the Wildcats at a 33-31 lead at intermission.

With Daemen holding a 51-48 lead, STAC roared to a 15-4 run as Osbel Caraballo's jumper gave the hosts their largest lead at 63-55 with just 5:38 left. Leading 65-57 with four minutes left, the Spartans offense stalled and a Kyle Harris three knotted the score at 67-67 with 1:02 in regulation. Sischo added a pair from the line with :34 left as the visitors reclaimed the lead, but Demetre Roberts hit one of two from the foul line and seemed to hit the basket of the afternoon as his three-pointer with 5.6 remaining put STAC on top, 73-71.

A wild ensuing inbound was somehow saved by Andrew Mason, which was a game-saving play as Sean Fasoyiro claimed the loose ball and tied the score with 2.6 left, sending the game to overtime. Caraballo's bucket with 1:14 left gave the Spartans the edge at 74-71, but Salzburg would come up big again, hitting the game-tying trey with :55 left and the eventual game-winning three with 26 seconds on the clock. STAC had one final chance with two seconds left, but Louis Griffith's desperation attempt was blocked by Salzburg to claim the win.

Caraballo's 27 points and 12 rebounds led St. Thomas Aquinas, aided by Roberts (14), Singleton, (14) and Kevin Lynch (12). Sischo was the standout for the Wildcats with game highs of 28 points and 13 rebounds, with Kyle Harris adding 19.

First place and top seed for the upcoming ECC Tournament is at stake when these teams close out the regular season with a Sunday rematch with tip time set for 2:00 pm at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans will host a semi-final playoff game on Friday, March 5, with opponents and time to be determined.