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Second Half Outburst Boosts #16/10 Spartans to 92-63 Decision over Molloy

Second Half Outburst Boosts #16/10 Spartans to 92-63 Decision over Molloy

The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team completed a weekend sweep with a 92-63 victory over Molloy College in an East Coast Conference battle at Aquinas Hall. STAC remains perfect on the season at 9-0 overall and 8-0 in conference action, with Molloy dropping to 2-4, 2-4. The win also extends the Spartans' overall win streak to 12 games.

Coming off Saturday's hard-fought 71-61 win, several lead changes punctuated the early minutes with Frankie Phelan giving Molloy an 11-10 lead five minutes in, only to see Demetre Roberts answer quickly in touching off a 7-0 Spartans run, giving the hosts a lead they would not relinquish. A Louis Griffith three-pointer with 6:36 remaining in the first half opened a 31-22 gap and Kevin Lynch added a pair from downtown in the final minutes, though James Montgomery's three trimmed the margin to 40-34 at half.

Roberts hit a trey on the first possession after intermission as the first four STAC field goals of the second half came from beyond the arc and suddenly the lead was 52-35 just over four minutes into the session. St. Thomas Aquinas only extended to chasm from there, with Jamal Barnes adding a late three to provide the final 29-point margin.

Osbel Caraballo paced STAC with team highs of 18 points and nine rebounds, Roberts added 15 and Singleton 14. Montgomery was again the standout for Molloy, recording game highs of 18 points and 13 rebounds in the setback.

The Spartans play their final three regular-season games at Aquinas Hall, with a non-conference test against American International on Wednesday at 6:00 pm, followed by a weekend showdown against Daemen on Saturday and Sunday, February 27 and 28. STAC has also clinched a first round bye for the ECC Tournament and will host a semi-final on Friday, March 5, with time and opponent to be determined.