Sparkill, N.Y. - Returning to action following an extended break for the winter holidays, the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team opened 2025 with a non-conference showdown against Bloomfield College of Montclair State University at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans saw a 14-point second half lead melt away, as the visiting Bears rallied to take an 87-85 decision on Thursday evening.

STAC sees their three-game win streak halted, and slips to 8-6 overall on the year, while Bloomfield improves to 7-4.

Shaun Arnold led the maroon and gold with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Luis Risquez (16 points), Derrick James (13 points) and Troy'reon Ramos (10 points) also scored in double figures. Meanwhile, Starrell Hearns led all scorers, dropping 23 points for the Bears.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nine Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest.
• Derrick James led the maroon and gold with six assists on the evening.
• Shaun Arnold hit 6 of his 14 field goal attempts, while Luis Risquez went 7-for-12 from the floor.
• STAC out-rebounded Bloomfield by a 49-39 margin, with Shaun Arnold grabbing a game-high 11 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas swiped six steals, with the Bears turning the ball over on 11 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in two team statistical categories over Bloomfield: Fastbreak Points (12-8) and Bench Points (23-16). 
• The game featured eight ties and five lead changes.
• STAC's largest lead came with just over 14 minutes to play in the contest, when the Spartans led by 14 points, 58-44 on a Tommy Kelly layup.
• St. Thomas Aquinas led Bloomfield, 41-36 at the half and shot 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the field.
• Shaun Arnold led all Spartans' scorers with nine first half points, while shooting 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from the floor.

BLOOMFIELD NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven Bears logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Starrell Hearns led all scorers with 23 points for Bloomfield. Teammates Izaiah Poole (14 points), Ethan Maynard (13 points), Deavion Ellis (13 points), Marcus Bucknall (12 points) and Edward Ngene (10 points) also scored in double figures.
• Hearns also led Bloomfield with seven assists on the night.
• Hearns went 10-for-25 from the floor, with Poole hitting 4 of his 9 field goal attempts and all six of this free throw attempts.
• Edward Ngene grabbed a game-high 11 boards for the Bears.
• Bloomfield picked up nine steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 18 separate occasions.
• The Bears earned advantages in three team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Points off Turnovers (19-9), Second Chance Points (19-13) and Points in the Paint (54-36).
• Bloomfield's largest lead of the contest (five points) came in the final four and a half minutes of Thursday's matchup, when the Bears took an 80-75 advantage on an Edward Ngene dunk.
• Deavion Ellis led all scorers with 11 first half points for the Bears, while shooting 71.4 percent from the field (5-for-7).
• As a team, Bloomfield shot 48.8 percent from the floor (20-of-41) and 100.0 percent (6-for-6) from the foul line in the second half, while outscoring STAC 51-44 in the frame.

UP NEXT: 

STAC gets right back to work on Saturday (January 4), hosting Virginia Union University at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans and Panthers are set to tip things off at 3:00 p.m. in Sparkill.