Late Spartans Surge Sends STAC to 75-68 Victory Over District of Columbia

WASHINGTON, DC – Leading 56-51 with just 6:07 left to play in regulation, a worn-down Firebirds squad of just six able-bodied players allowed the host St. Thomas Aquinas on an 18-4 run over the next five minutes and was ultimately saddled with a disappointing, 75-68 East Coast Conference loss on Sunday afternoon at Aquinas Hall.

Flynn McFadden's three-pointer with 5:23 left to play gave the Spartans their first lead since the 19:19 mark of the second half (32-30), but STAC ran away with the lead from there. During the Spartans' 18-4 surge, District of Columbia shot just 2-for-8 from the field and turned the ball over twice.

Senior guard Keith Brooks (Journalism – Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancy HS) shot 6-of-12 from the field (4-of-8 from long-range) to lead the Firebirds offensively with 20 points. Also, senior transfer forward D'Angelo Johnson (Mass Media – Washington, DC/Virginia St.) and sophomore forward Florent Pontens (Business Management – Tarbes, France/Cheshire Academy) added 12 points apiece while junior transfer guard Ralph Watts (Sociology – Peekskill, NY/UAlbany) registered 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

For STAC (5-17, 5-8 ECC), Justin Brown and T.J. Jones tied for the game-high with 23 points apiece while Omar Kellman registered a double-double of 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The Spartans snapped a four-game losing streak with today's win.

District of Columbia (3-18, 2-11 ECC) will host 2^nd place LIU Post on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring a canned food item or make a monetary donation as it is the SAAC Fight Hunger Game.