Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team got back on track Saturday with a hard-fought 81-74 home victory over Virginia Union University at Aquinas Hall.

STAC improves to 9-6 on the season, while Virginia Union slips below the .500 mark at 7-8.

Hartnel Haye recorded a team-high 18-point effort for the maroon and gold, while teammates Derrick James (13 points), Shaun Arnold (13 points) and Luis Risquez (10 points) also factored in the Spartans' totals with each scoring in double figures. Meanwhile, Jonathan King led the visiting Panthers in scoring, tallying a game-high 29 points.

STAC shot 44.0 percent from the field (33-75), while Virginia Union shot 44.4 percent (24-54) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nine Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the non-conference contest. 
• Derrick James led the maroon and gold with six assists on the day.
• Hartnel Haye hit 8 of his 16 field goal attempts and 2-of-3 free throws. Meanwhile, Derrick James went 5-of-10 from the floor, with three of his four shots hitting the mark from distance.
• STAC out-rebounded Virginia Union by a slim 34-33 margin, with Haye grabbing a team-high six boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas swiped 11 steals, with the Panthers turning the ball over on 22 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in two team statistical categories over Virginia Union: Points off Turnovers (26-16) and Points in the Paint (42-34).
• The game featured no ties and one lead change.
• STAC's largest lead of the game came with just over two minutes to play in opening half, when Spartans led by 23 points, 43-20, on a Shaun Arnold layup.
• St. Thomas Aquinas held a 47-24 advantage going into the halftime locker room.
• Hartnel Haye led all scorers with 11 first half points for the Spartans, while shooting 56.0 percent (5-of-9) from the floor.
• STAC's best shooting half came in the opening stanza, with the maroon and gold hitting 20 of its 39 total shots for a 51.3 field goal percentage and 3 of its 4 free throw attempts for a 75.0 percent rating.

VIRGINIA UNION NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Panthers logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Jonathan King led Virginia Union with 29 points. Teammates Travis Vaughn (12 points) and Keysean Faulkner-Smith (10 points) also scored in double figures.
• King and Vaughn also led Virginia Union with two assists apiece on the afternoon.
• Jonathan King went 9-for-12 from the floor and 11-of-12 from the charity stripe, with Travis Vaughn hitting 3 of his 12 shots and all four of his free throw attempts.
• King also grabbed a game-high 14 boards for the Panthers.
• Virginia Union picked up eight steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 12 separate occasions.
• The Panthers earned advantages in two team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Second Chance Points (26-25) and Fastbreak Points (6-2).
• Virginia Union's largest lead of the contest (three points) came in the early moments of Saturday's contest, when the Panthers took a 3-0 advantage on a DJ Mitchell three-point jumper.
• Jonathan King led all Panthers scorers with seven first half points, while shooting 75.0 percent (3-for-4) from the field and a perfect 100.0 percent (1-of-1) from the free throw line.
• Virginia Union's second half rally attempt fell short, despite outscoring St. Thomas Aquinas 50-34 in the frame. The Panthers shot 43.2 percent (16-for-37) from the field and 80.0 percent (16-of-20) from the foul line in the stanza.

UP NEXT:

STAC returns to conference play on Wednesday, January 8, hosting the University of the District of Columbia at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans and Firebirds will take the court around 7:00 p.m., as the backend of an ECC doubleheader which also features the women's squads at 5:00 p.m.