Washington, D.C. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team earned its seventh straight victory on Wednesday evening by downing the University of the District of Columbia, 98-88, in East Coast Conference action at the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Complex.

The victory gives the Spartans a 9-1 overall record and a 2-0 ECC mark, while UDC slips to 3-5 and 1-2.

James Patterson led the way for the Spartans, posting 31 points, while teammates Kyle Pulliam (19pts) and Lawrence Foreman (10pts) also scored in double figures.

STAC shot 44.4 percent (32-72) from the field, while UDC shot 46.4 percent (32-69) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nine Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Zion Ruckard led the maroon and gold with five assists on the evening.
• James Patterson made 8 of his 17 field goal attempts, while also sinking 13-of-14 free throw attempts. Kyle Pulliam went 7-for-14 from the floor and 3-of-6 from downtown.
• UDC out-rebounded STAC by a slim 45-41 margin, with Rich Smith grabbing a team-high nine boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up eight steals, with the Firebirds turning the ball over on 21 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned an advantage in one team statistical category  over District of Columbia: Points off Turnovers (29-21).
• The game featured nine ties and seven lead changes.
• James Patterson recorded 30 or more points in a game for the fourth time this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• UDC opened up a 9-2 lead, as the Firebirds jumped on the Spartans in the first three minutes of Wednesday night's contest.
• The Spartans rallied back with a 14-2 run of their own, as James Patterson, Kyle Pulliam, Ethan Millirons combined to put the maroon and gold ahead, 16-11 with 13 minutes still to play in the stanza.
• Seven straight points by the Firebirds flipped the scoreboard back in favor of the hosts, 18-16.
• Back and forth play between the sides resulted in the score being tied 22-22, but an Ethan Millirons trey and a Deshawne Crim free throw put the Spartans back on top by four at 26-22.
• UDC would respond and cut its deficit to just one (26-25), but an 8-2 streak by STAC gave the visitors some breathing room at 34-27 with two and half minutes to play before halftime.
• In the final minute, the host Firebirds were able to rally back and hold leads of two and three points in the final 40 seconds. However, a James Patterson three-point jumper as time expired in the stanza, sailed through the net to even the score at 41-41 through the first 20 minutes of action.
• James Patterson led all scorers with 19 first half points for the Spartans, while Hartnel Haye picked up 13 points for the Firebirds.
• STAC opened the second half with consecutive defensive stops, while also forcing UDC to turnover the basketball. Scores by Kyle Pulliam, Lawrence Foreman, and Zion Ruckard turned a stalemate on the scoreboard into an nine-point advantage for the maroon and gold, 50-41.
• St. Thomas Aquinas continued to build momentum throughout the second half, as their lead expanded into double-digits. Kyle Pulliam, Ethan Millirons, James Patterson, Javion Patterson, Luis Risquez, Rich Smith, Vasilis Tolia, Jamal Barnes and Lawrence Foreman all provided the necessary offense to keep the host Firebirds at an arm's length.
• STAC built its largest lead of the game (16 points) on a Kyle Pulliam layup with 2:05 left in regulation time to make it 90-74.
• A very late rally attempt by UDC cut their deficit to single digits at 96-88, but a pair of Rich Smith free throws brought the Spartans advantage back to ten, where it would remain until the final buzzer.

UP NEXT:

STAC visits the College of Staten Island for a Saturday afternoon (December 9) another East Coast Conference matchup. Opening tip between the Spartans and Dolphins is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the CSI Sports and Recreation Center.