The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team opens the 2023-24 post-season, hosting #4 seed Roberts Wesleyan University 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 23-5 overall, 14-2 in the ECC, looking to win its fifth straight ECC Tournament title and eighth in the last nine seasons. The Spartans punctuated the All-Conference awards, with James Patterson (23.9 ppg & 8.3 rpg) earning Player of the Year honors and First Team accolades, while both Rich Smith (9.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg & 5.4 apg) and Kyle Pulliam (13.7 ppg) took home Second Team kudos. STAC possesses the best offense in the ECC, scoring 92.4 points per game and the fourth best defense, allowing only 80.6 points per contest.
The Teams - Roberts Wesleyan - The #4 seeded Redhawks (13-12, 9-7) advanced to the semis on the strength of Wednesday's 64-61 home victory over the University of the District of Columbia. Jermaine Taggart II led the way for Roberts with 17 points and averages 9.0 points per game. Malik Brooks (17.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg & 3.1 apg), Kevin Constant (15.4 ppg) and Isaiah Elmore (9.7 ppg & 7.6 rpg) contribute to a lineup that currently ranks fourth in team scoring (82.2 ppg) and seventh in defense (82.7 ppg) within the ECC.
NCAA Rankings - The Spartans enter the post-season as the #2 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 (Split 1-1):
January 14, 2024, @RWU 107, STAC 102 - The first meeting of these squads saw the Redhawks rally back from a 12-point halftime deficit, scoring 62 second-half points to take a tight affair in Rochester. Rich Smith led the way for the STAC with 26 points, while James Patterson recorded 24 points and Jamal Barnes 15 points. Malik Brooks led all scorers with 32 points for Roberts Wesleyan, while Ryan Garwood (21 points), Kevin Constant (21 points) and Marlon Pratt, Jr. (11 points) also scored in double figures.
February 11, 2024 - @STAC 101, RWU 84 - In the rematch in Sparkill, the hosts saw four of their starters score in double figures, as James Patterson paced the STAC offense with a game-high 30 points, while Rich Smith, Kyle Pulliam and Jamal Barnes recorded 13 points apiece. Lawrence Foreman chipped in 10 points off the bench for the maroon and gold. Kevin Constant recorded 16 points for the Redhawks, with Isaiah Elmore (15 points), Jermaine Taggart II (15 points), Malik Brooks (13 points) and Ryan Garwood (11 points) all contributing double-digit point totals as well.
What's Next? - The winner of this game will advance to the ECC Tournament Final on Sunday, March 10, at 2:30 pm at Aquinas Hall. They will take on the winner of the Saturday 3:00 pm semifinal between #2 Staten Island and #3 Daemen. Like STAC, Staten Island earned a bye into the semis, while Daemen advanced with a 76-68 home victory over Queens College on Wednesday night.
2024 EAST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round – Wednesday, March 6 at No. 3 and No. 4 seeds
7:00 PM - No. 3 Daemen 76, No. 6 Queens 68
7:00 PM - No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan 64, No. 5 District of Columbia 61
Semifinals – Saturday, March 9 at St. Thomas Aquinas (Sparkill, N.Y.)
12:00 PM - No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas
3:00 PM - No. 3 Daemen vs. No. 2 Staten Island
Final – Sunday, March 10 at St. Thomas Aquinas (Sparkill, N.Y.)
2:30 PM - Semifinal winner vs. semifinal winner
BROADCAST/LIVE STATISTICS INFORMATION
For those who cannot be in attendance, Saturday's Game will be broadcast LIVE on 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 separate tickets to attend both semifinal games on March 9 *
* 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 will not guarantee that tickets will be available at the door. *