Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team won its seventh straight contest on Saturday afternoon, as the Spartans defeated Queens College, 71-59 on Senior Day at Aquinas Hall Gym.

STAC improves to 19-4 and 12-1 in the ECC on the season, while Queens drops to 8-8 and 6-6 in conference play.

Prior to the contest between the Spartans and Knights, STAC honored its graduating senior class; Demetre Roberts, Antonio Vendola, Grant Singleton, Kwabena "Kobe" Opoku, Elijah Bovell and Osbel Caraballo with on-court ceremonies, which included the athletes' families, teammates, coaches and college administrators.

Once the game got underway, Jamal Barnes led the way on the stat sheet for the Spartans, posting 22 points, while Demetre Roberts (21 points) also scored in double-figures.

STAC shot 38.5 percent from the field (25-65) in the conference contest, while Queens shot 40.3 percent (25-62) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight players recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Demetre Roberts led the Spartans with six assists on the day.
• Roberts made six of his 11 field goal attempts, with 3-of-5 going in from three-point, while Jamal Barnes went 7-for-5 from the floor and 6-of-12 from beyond the arc.
• STAC out rebounded Queens 40-39 through 40 minutes of action, with Jerrel Kelly grabbing nine boards.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up 12 steals in the contest, with the Knights turning the ball over on 21 different occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over Queens: Points off of Turnovers (27-14), Fastbreak Points (10-0) and Bench Points (35-19).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Queens raced out to an early 10-2 lead and held a 16-8 advantage with just over 10 and half minutes remaining in the first half, before the Spartans went on a 13-4 run of their own to take its first lead of the game at 21-20.
• STAC would outscore Queens 12-4 in the final 6:29 of the opening half to take a 33-24 lead into the halftime locker room.
• Jamal Barnes paced the Spartans with 13 first half points, while Shamar Chester, Jayden Seraphin and Tyler Carey recorded six points each for Queens.
• After the break, St. Thomas Aquinas extended its advantage on the scoreboard to 40-26 early on and maintained multiple 10 and 11-point margins, despite attempts by Queens to cut into the STAC lead.
• However, the Knights would get within six points (47-41) with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game. The Spartans, facing a rally attempt by Queens, matched the Knights shot for shot and got a pair of clutch threes from Demetre Roberts and Jamal Barnes to push the STAC lead back to 14 at 59-45, forcing the visitors to call a timeout.
• St. Thomas Aquinas would maintain its double-digit margins for the final eight plus minutes of the contest, leading by as much as 21 points (66-45), before capturing the 71-59 victory.
• Demetre Roberts would help the STAC cause in the second half, posting 10 points, while Dion Herrington and Eddie Mehmetaj put up eight points apiece.

UP NEXT:

It's a quick turnaround for St. Thomas Aquinas, as they wrap up this two-game, home-and-home series with Queens on Sunday, February 13, only this time at Fitzgerald Gymnasium. Opening tip is set for 3pm. (Note: Sunday's contest is the makeup game from January 8)