Amherst, N.Y. - In a nip and tuck affair throughout on Saturday evening at Lumsden Gymasium, the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team held off a late rally attempt by Pace University to advance in the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament, 79-72.

No. 5 STAC improves to 24-9 overall and will face top-seed and hosts Daemen University in second round action on Sunday evening (7:30 p.m.) in Amherst. Daemen defeated No. 8 University of Bridgeport, 80-68 earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Pace closes out its 2024-2025 campaign at 24-8.

Deshawne Crim led the way for St. Thomas Aquinas with a game-high 17 points. Teammates Luis Risquez (14 points), Derrick James (11 points) and Michael Parrotta (10 points) also posted double figures in scoring. Trey Boyd III led all Setters scorers, tallying 16 points.

STAC shot 38.9 percent (28-72) from the field, while Pace shot 41.3 percent (26-63) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Ten Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Shaun Arnold led the maroon and gold with five assists on the night.
• Deshawne Crim hit 4 of his 9 field goal attempts, with 3-of-6 buckets going in from beyond the arc, and 6-of-8 free throws. Luis Risquez went 6-of-14 from the floor, with 2-for-4 dropping from distance.
• STAC out-rebounded Pace by a 47-41 margin, with Shaun Arnold grabbing a game-high 10 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas swiped eight steals, with the Setters turning the ball over on 15 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in four team statistical categories over Pace: Points off Turnovers (22-13), Second Chance Points (24-13), Points in the Paint (38-30) and Bench Points (32-26).
• The game featured two ties and one lead change.
• STAC's largest lead of the game came with just under 11 and a half minutes to play in the first half, when Spartans led by 10 points, 20-10, on a Deshawne Crim free throw.
• STAC led Pace 40-37 going into the halftime locker room and shot 46.9 percent (15-32) from the floor and 41.7 percent (5-12) from the three-point line.
• Troy'reon Ramos and Hartnel Haye led all Spartans scorers with seven first half points apiece. Ramos shot 40.0 percent (2-of-5) from the field and 50.0 percent (2-of-4) from three, while Haye shot 43.0 percent (3-of-7) from the floor.
• St. Thomas Aquinas is now 3-5 in eight total matchups with Pace going back to the 1986-87 season.

PACE NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven Setters logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Trey Boyd III led Pace with 16 points, while Jaden Kealey (15 points) and Darren Fergus (14 points) also scored in double figures.
• Tray Alexander led Pace with 10 assists on the evening.
• Boyd went 6-for-16 from the floor. Meanwhile, Kealey went 4-for-11 from the field and 7-of-11 from the foul line.
• Jamaal Waters grabbed a game-high 10 boards for the Setters.
• Pace picked up five steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 10 separate occasions.
• The Setters earned one advantage in the team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Fastbreak Points (10-7).
• Jaden Kealey led all scorers with 11 first half points for the Setters, while shooting 57.1 percent (4-for-7) from field.

UP NEXT:

No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 1 Daemen will square off in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball East Region Tournament on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. The teams will lock horns for the fourth time this season, with the Wildcats winning the previous three. The Wildcats swept the two-game regular season series in 2024-25, taking the first meeting at Lumsden Gymnasium, 84-55 on December 13 while also winning the rematch at Aquinas Hall, 65-54 on February 7. In the East Coast Conference Tournament Final, Daemen ended STAC's streak of five straight titles with an 88-80 victory in Western New York to capture their first-ever league crown.

2025 NCAA DIVISION II MEN'S BASKETBALL EAST REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

All Games Played at Lumsden Gymnasium (Daemen University) – Amherst, N.Y.

Quarterfinals – Saturday, March 15
12:00 p.m. - No. 6 Assumption 92 vs. No. 3 Southern New Hampshire 66

2:30 p.m. - No. 7 Dominican 85 vs. No. 2 Adelphi 66

5:00 p.m. - No. 8 Bridgeport 68 vs. No. 1 Daemen 80

7:30 p.m. - No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas 79 vs. No. 4 Pace 72

Semifinals – Sunday, March 16
5:00 p.m. - No. 7 Dominican vs. No. 6 Assumption

7:30 p.m. - No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 1 Daemen

Final – Tuesday, March 18
7:00 p.m. - Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No.2