Buffalo, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team ended its two-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon with a 101-86 victory over D'Youville University at the College Center Gym, to put a wrap on the Spartans weekend Western New York road trip.

STAC improves to 20-5 overall and 11-2 in the ECC, while D'Youville slips to 7-19 and 4-10. The win gives the Spartans back their full one-game lead in the standings over the College of Staten Island for first place, with three games remaining in the regular season play. St. Thomas Aquinas also holds the tiebreaker over the Dolphins with a sweep of regular season contests.

Kyle Pulliam led the way for the maroon and gold with a game-high 29 points, while teammates James Patterson (24pts), Rich Smith (13pts) and Shaun Arnold (11pts) also posted double figures in scoring.

STAC shot 52.5 percent (32-61) from the field, while D'Youville shot 46.7 percent (28-60) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nine Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest.
• Rich Smith led the maroon and gold with five assists on the afternoon.
• Kyle Pulliam hit 9 of his 11 field goal attempts, with 5-of-6 going in from downtown, and went 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, James Patterson went 6-for-17 from the floor and 11-of-12 from the charity stripe.
• STAC out-rebounded D'Youville by a 39-25 margin, with James Patterson grabbing a game-high 11 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up seven steals, with the Saints turning the ball over on 14 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in two team statistical categories over D'Youville: Second Chance Points (15-10), Points in the Paint (38-32).
• The game featured eight ties and four lead changes.
• STAC's largest lead of the contest came in the middle of the second half, when the Spartans led by 19 points, 82-63 on a Kyle Pulliam made three-point jumper.
• St. Thomas Aquinas took a 49-42 lead into the halftime locker room. The team shot a 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the floor and 90.5 percent (19-of-21) from the free throw line.
• Kyle Pulliam led all scorers with 14 first half points for the Spartans, while shooting 66.6 percent (4-of-6) from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line.
• The Spartans recorded 52 second half points on the strength of 15 points from Kyle Pulliam and 14 points from James Patterson, while the team collectively shot 52.9 percent (18-for-34) from the floor and 80 percent (12-of-15) from the free throw line.
• The teams combined for 44 total foul calls (STAC 22/DYU 22) with the Spartans shooting 36 free throws and the Saints 26.

D'YOUVILLE NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Saints logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Bryson Birdsong led D'Youville with 29 points, while Kevin Thompson (15pts) also scored in double digits.
• Noah Hutchins led DYU with a five assists on the afternoon.
• Bryson Birdsong went 6-for-9 from the floor, 4-of-7 from three and 13-for-15 from the foul line. Meanwhile, Kevin Thompson hit 6 of his 9 shots from the field.
• Nasir Hammonds grabbed a team-high six boards for the Saints.
• D'Youville picked up eight steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 16 separate occasions.
• The Saints earned advantages in three team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Points off Turnovers (18-14), Fastbreak Points (10-0) and Bench Points (26-24).
• D'Youville had its largest lead of the game (six points) in the middle of the first half at 37-31.
• Bryson Birdsong led the Saints with 13 points in the opening half.
• Despite trailing by seven points at the break, D'Youville shot 51.6 percent (16-for-31) from the floor.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College hosts Molloy University in a Wednesday night ECC tilt at Aquinas Hall on February 21. The Spartans and Lions will tip things off beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Sparkill, N.Y.