Sparkill, N.Y. (January 17, 2015) - St. Thomas Aquinas pulled a win from men's basketball this afternoon in conference play. The 57-62 loss is the lowest scoring game for men's basketball this season. The loss came after another close match up and win against Mercy College the night before.

The men's record drops to 7-6 and 3-4 in the ECC. Roberts Wesleyan hopes to put the loss behind them, as they face throughway rivals Daemen College this Tuesday January 20th at Daemen. The action begins at 8pm.

A Close Start
Roberts Wesleyan started the match up with a quick layup by Isaac Medeiros, but seconds later the score was tied. Much of the half was played similarly, with lead changes and ties happening frequently. The lead was never more than seven by either team. 

While the Spartan's managed to hold on to the lead mid way through the first half, the Redhawks began to take over as the half was ending. Jamaal Carter went three of four from beyond the arc to help the Redhawks take the lead. He scored all of his 9 points in the first half. It was a good three point shot by Carter that gave Roberts Wesleyan  the lead late in the half.  The Redhawks managed to hold on to the lead to end the half 31 to 26.

An Even Match-Up
Roberts Wesleyan and St. Thomas Aquinas had a tough fought match up with similar shooting percentages. The Redhawks actually had better percentages for shooting from the field and long range. The teams also posted similar numbers for points in the paint with Roberts Wesleyan at 26 and St Thomas Aquinas with 30.

There were a total of 13 lead changes between the two teams with the lead never going beyond 10 points. The game was exciting and close but ultimately a let down for the visiting Redhawks.

Roberts Wesleyan Fades Late in the Game
The Redhawks started out the second half with their largest lead and the largest lead of the game thus far. Kevin Madiamba's good layup put Roberts Wesleyan up by 9 (35-26). The back and fourth play continued throughout the half, but the play shifted to the Spartans in the last four minutes of the game.
 
At the four minute mark Aaron Cust tied up the score for St. Thomas Aquinas and the Spartans started to take over the lead there after. With just minutes to go, the Redhawks missed some key scoring opportunities giving the Spartans the advantage.

With just 13 seconds to go, Mike Stone had a key layup to put Roberts Weslayen just one point behind St. Thomas Aquinas 57-58. However, the Spartans made all of their four free throws and the Redhawks were unable to generate any quality offensive chances to end the match. The game ended 57-62

St. Thomas Aquinas Bench Shows up Big
St. Thomas highest scoring player, Justin Reyes came off the bench for the Spartans scoring 15 points and earning a double double with 11 rebounds. Overall the Spartans had four players scoring in the double digits,two of which coming from the bench. Jules De Courtenay was also key for the Spartans defensively with a game high 15 rebounds

St. Thomas Aquinas had a total of 30 points from the bench compared to Roberts Wesleyans 17.

Low Scoring Night for the Redhawks
Roberts Wesleyan's only player to score more than 10 points was the senior Isaac Medeiros with 13 points and seven rebounds. Other key players for the Redhawks were Mike Stone with nine points and four assists. Aleks Miljenovic lead  defensively with nine rebounds and two blocks. Tyrel Dixon also posted a solid eight points and six rebounds. However, most players were shooting below their season average.

As a team Roberts Wesleyan was 37.7 % from the field, 28.6% from long range and 41.7 from the line.