Sparkill, N.Y. - St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball ended an 11-day hiatus on Sunday afternoon, hosting Roberts Wesleyan University in the team's conference opener at Aquinas Hall. A packed house saw the visiting Redhawks turn a four-point halftime deficit into a 10-point victory by outscoring the Spartans 53-39 in the second stanza to earn a 91-81 decision.

STAC slips to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in ECC play, while Roberts Wesleyan improves to 4-5 and 1-1.

Shaun Arnold led maroon and gold offense with 22 points, while Luis Risquez (14 points), Tyshon Judge (11 points) and Derrick James (10 points) also scored in double figures. Malik Brooks led all scorers, dropping 34 points for the Redhawks.

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 42.0 percent from the field (29-69), while Roberts Wesleyan shot 49.2 percent (29-59) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nine Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest.
• Derrick James led the maroon and gold with seven assists on the afternoon.
• Shaun Arnold hit 6 of his 12 field goal attempts, while also going 9-of-11 from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Luis Risquez went 5-for-10 from the floor.
• STAC out-rebounded Roberts Wesleyan by a 43-35 margin, with Luis Risquez grabbing a team-high eight boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up 10 steals, with the Redhawks turning the ball over on 15 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over Roberts Wesleyan: Second Chance Points (12-7), Points in the Paint (50-42) and Bench Points (15-3). 
• The game featured 13 ties and 17 lead changes.
• STAC's largest lead came in the opening seconds of Sunday's contest, when the Spartans led by four points, 4-0 on dunk by Tyshon Judge.
• St. Thomas Aquinas led Roberts Wesleyan, 42-38 at the half and shot 48.5 percent (16-of-33) from the field.
• Shaun Arnold and Derrick James led all Spartans scorers with 10 first half points apiece.

ROBERTS WESLEYAN NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Redhawks logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Malik Brooks led all scorers with 34 points for Roberts Wesleyan. Teammates Ryan Garwood (21 points), Jermaine Taggart II (14 points) and Arnardo Camacho (11 points) also scored in double figures.
• Arnardo Camacho led Roberts Wesleyan with six assists on the day.
• Brooks went 11-for-19 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line, with Garwood hitting 7 of his 10 field goal attempts, 3-of-6 from three-point range and all four of this free throw attempts.
• Keonjay Carter grabbed a game-high nine boards for the Redhawks.
• Roberts Wesleyan picked up 10 steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 16 separate occasions.
• The Redhawks earned one advantage in team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Points off Turnovers (28-15).
• Roberts Wesleyan's largest lead of the contest (12 points) came in the final four minutes of Sunday's contest, when the Redhawks took an 84-72 advantage on an Arnardo Camacho free throw.
• Jermaine Taggart II led all scorers with 12 first half points for the Redhawks, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field (5-for-8).
• As a team, Roberts Wesleyan shot 57.7 percent from the floor (15-of-26) in the second half, while outscoring STAC 53-39 in the frame.

UP NEXT:

STAC faces a stiff task, visiting undefeated Daemen University on Friday, December 13. Tip-off between the Spartans and Wildcats is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Charles L. & Gloria B. Lumsden Gymnasium in Amherst, New York.