Lakeland, Fla. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team opened its 2024-2025 campaign on Saturday evening at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Florida, taking on last year's NCAA Division II Tournament Quarterfinalists, the University of North Georgia at Jenkins Field House.

A back and forth battle between the sides throughout the contest saw the the Nighthawks pull away late via free throws to take the matchup 87-76 over the Spartans.

STAC falls to 0-1 on the season, while North Georgia moves to 1-0.

Junior Derrick James led the STAC offense with 15 points, while grad student Hartnel Haye posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the maroon and gold. Cayden Charles paced North Georgia on both sides of the ball, scoring 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds on the evening. 

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 39.2 percent from the field (31-79), while North Georgia shot a blistering 62.0 percent (31-50) from the floor and 54.5 percent (6-11) from beyond the arc.

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.
• James hit 6 of his 16 field goal attempts, while also going 2-of-5 from the three-point line. Meanwhile, Hartnel Haye went 6-for-12 from the floor.
• North Georgia out-rebounded STAC by a 41-32 margin, with Hartnel Haye grabbing a team-high 10 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up 17 steals, with the Nighthawks turning the ball over on 23 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over North Georgia: Points off Turnovers (22-16), Second Chance Points (19-2) and Bench Points (25-16). 
• The game featured 10 ties and 20 lead changes.
• STAC's largest lead of the contest came in the opening moments of the second half, when the Spartans led by eight points, 36-28 on made layup by Shaun Arnold.
• St. Thomas Aquinas led North Georgia, 32-28 at the half and shot 35.1 percent (13-of-37) from the field.
• Anthony Daley led all Spartans scorers with nine first half points, while shooting 75.0 percent (3-of-4) from both the field and the three-point line.

NORTH GEORGIA NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Nighthawks logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Cayden Charles led all scorers with 28 points for North Georgia. Teammates AJ White (17 points) and Zack Hawkinson (15 points) also scored in double figures.
• Charles and White led North Georgia with four assists apiece on the day.
• Cayden Charles went 9-for-12 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the free throw line, with AJ White hitting 6 of his 12 field goal attempts.
• Charles also grabbed a game-high 11 boards for the Nighthawks.
• North Georgia picked up seven steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 12 separate occasions.
• North Georgia's largest lead of the contest came in the closing seconds of Saturday's contest, when the Nighthawks took an 83-72 advantage on a pair of made free throws by Sutton Smith.
• Cayden Charles led the Nighthawks with 11 first half points, while shooting 100.0 percent from both the field (3-for-3) and the foul line (5-for-5).
• As a team, North Georgia shot a scorching 71.4 percent from the floor (20-of-28) and from three (5-for-7) in the second half.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas wraps up its trip to the Sunshine State with a Sunday afternoon (November 3) showdown against last season's NCAA Division II Tournament runner-up, Nova Southeastern University at 3:30 p.m. inside of Jenkins Field House, on Day 2 of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.