Manchester, N.H. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball hit the road on Wednesday evening for an East Regional showdown with Saint Anselm College at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.

Down by nine points at halftime, the Spartans battled back to lead by as many as eight points at the midway point of the second stanza. However, the host Hawks would chip away at their deficit and eventually regain the lead in the final minute of action, courtesy of a pair of free throws and a jump shot from Saint Anselm's Juju Ramirez, to take a 78-75 decision from the maroon and gold.

STAC sees its six-game win streak ended and falls to 14-7 on the season, while Saint Anselm improves to 13-7.

Shaun Arnold led all scorers with 17 points for the Spartans, while Luis Risquez (14 points) and Deshawne Crim (11 points) also scored in double figures. Meanwhile, Sean McCarthy led the Hawks with 16 points.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nine Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest.
• Derrick James led the maroon and gold with five assists on the evening.
• Shaun Arnold hit 8 of his 17 field goal attempts, while Luis Risquez went 6-for-10 from the floor.
• Saint Anselm out-rebounded STAC by a 40-36 margin, with Hartnel Haye grabbing a game-high 10 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas swiped 14 steals, with the Hawks turning the ball over on 21 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over Saint Anselm: Points off Turnovers (17-12), Points in the Paint (54-36) and Bench Points 22-17.
• The game featured seven ties and ten lead changes.
• STAC's largest lead came with just over eleven and a half minutes to play in the contest, when the Spartans led by eight points, 58-50 on a Luis Risquez layup.
• St. Thomas Aquinas trailed Saint Anselm, 38-29 at the half and shot 33.3 percent (14-of-42) from the field.
• Deshawne Crim led all Spartans' scorers with seven first half points, while shooting 60.0 percent (3-of-5) from the floor.
• STAC's best shooting half came in the second, as the Spartans shot 54.3 percent (19-35) from the field.

SAINT ANSELM NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven Hawks logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Sean McCarthy led all scorers with 16 points for Saint Anselm. Teammates Josh Morissette (15 points), Erik Oliver-Bush (15 points), Juju Ramirez (13 points) and Zac Taylor (11 points) also scored in double figures.
• Jadon Archer led Saint Anselm with four assists on the night.
• McCarthy went 6-for-12 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the foul line, with Oliver-Bush hitting 6 of his 11 field goal attempts and both of this free throw attempts.
• Sean McCarthy and Jadon Archer also grabbed a team-high nine boards each for the Hawks.
• Saint Anselm picked up five steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 10 separate occasions.
• The Hawks earned one advantage in team statistical category over St. Thomas Aquinas: Second Chance Points (10-8).
• Saint Anselm's largest lead of the contest (nine points) came in the final minute of the first half, when the Hawks took an 38-29 advantage on a pair of Jadon Archer made free throws.
• Erik Oliver-Bush led all scorers with nine first half points for the Hawks, while shooting 50.0 percent (4-for-8) from the field.
• Saint Anselm's best shooting half came in the first, as the Hawks shot 51.7 percent (15-29) from the floor.

UP NEXT:

STAC heads north, visiting Roberts Wesleyan University on Sunday, February 2. The Spartans and Redhawks will square off in ECC action starting at 4:00 p.m. inside of the Voller Athletic Center in Rochester, New York.