The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team opens the 2022-23 post-season, hosting #4 seed University of the District of Columbia on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 pm at Aquinas Hall Gym in Sparkill.
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For More Information, visit ECC Men's Basketball Championship Central
The Teams - St. Thomas Aquinas - The ECC Regular Season Champion and top seeded Spartans received a first-round bye and enter tournament play with a record of 24-4 overall, 15-1 in the ECC, looking to win its fourth straight ECC Tournament title. Two Spartans punctuated the All-Conference awards, with James Patterson (14.4 ppg & 7.1 rpg) earning Rookie of the Year honors and both Patterson and teammate DeVante Jamison (14.6 ppg & 5.8 apg) taking First Team accolades. In addition, Head Coach Matt Capell earned his first Coach of the Year award in his inaugural season at the helm of the maroon and gold.
The Teams - District of Columbia - The #4 seeded Firebirds (13-13, 10-6) advanced to the semis on the strength of Wednesday's 85-75 home victory over Staten Island. Juanye Colon led the way for UDC with 22 points and averages 10.1 points per game. Michael Aiken (15.7 ppg), Jahmir Marable-Williams (11.5 ppg & 6.5 apg) and Hartnel Haye (10.3 ppg & 7.2 rpg) contribute to a deep lineup as the Firebirds currently rank second in team scoring (81.7) and fifth in defense (78.8).
NCAA Rankings - The Spartans enter the post-season as the #6 ranked team in the East per official NCAA rankings. Eight teams from the East will qualify for the 64-team field at the NCAA Division II Tournament, with automatic bids being earned by champions from the ECC, Northeast-10, and Central Atlantic Collegiate conferences, and the other five awarded on an at-large basis.
Season Series (STAC wins 2-0):
November 30, 2022, STAC 83, @UDC 78 - The first meeting of these squads saw the Spartans rally back from a 10-point halftime deficit, scoring 52 second-half points to take a tight affair in our nation's capital. James Patterson led the way for the STAC with 22 points, while DeVante Jamison recorded 18 points and Antonio Vendola 12 points.
January 25, 2023 - @STAC 100, UDC 74 - In the rematch in Sparkill, the hosts saw all five of their starters score in double figures, as Antonio Vendola paced the STAC offense with 18 points, while James Patterson and Jamal Barnes posted 14 points apiece, DeVante Jamison racked up 12 points and Jordan Green put up 11 points.
What's Next? - The winner of this game will advance to the ECC Tournament Final on Sunday, March 6, at 2:30 pm at Aquinas Hall. They will take on the winner of the Saturday 3:00 pm semi-final between #2 Daemen and #6 Roberts Wesleyan. Like STAC, Daemen earned a bye into the semis, while Roberts Wesleyan advanced with a 71-59 road victory over the Molloy University on Wednesday night.
2023 EAST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round – Wednesday, March 1 at campus sites
7:00 p.m. - No. 6 Roberts Wesleyan 71 at No. 3 Molloy 59
8:00 p.m. - No. 5 Staten Island 75 at No. 4 Dist. Columbia 85
Semifinals – Saturday, March 4 at St. Thomas Aquinas
12:00 p.m. - No. 4 Dist. Columbia vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas
3:00 p.m. - No. 6 Roberts Wesleyan vs. No. 2 Daemen
Final – Sunday, March 5 at St. Thomas Aquinas
2:30 p.m. - Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner
BROADCAST/LIVE STATISTICS INFORMATION
For those who cannot be in attendance, Saturday's Game will be broadcast LIVE on both the Spartan Sports Network and the ECC Network.
LIVE statistics will also be available for fans to follow all of the game action, if you cannot make it to Aquinas Hall or watch the web stream.
TICKET PRICING
All Games
$8 - General Admission
$4 - Students with ID, Senior Citizens, Children Ages 5-12
Children under 5 free for all games
* Must purchase a ticket to attend semifinal round game on March 4 *
* Tickets must be purchased at the link above. Due to the seating capacity of the tournament venues, it is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance. The ECC and Host Institutions will not guarantee that tickets will be available at the door. *