Largey led the Skyhawks with 23 points, draining all three of his three-pointers and converting all eight free-throws. (PHOTO BY Greg Wall)

Sudan nets 28 points as 16-2 second half run sends Spartans to win

SPARKILL, N.Y. (November 11, 2018) – Saint Thomas Aquinas College opened the second half with a 16-2 run and held on down the stretch to record an 82-78 triumph over Stonehill College in non-conference men's basketball action on day two of the STAC Tip-Off Classic at Aquinas Hall Gymnasium this afternoon.

Sophomore Jamar Sudan scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the first half, finishing 11-of-16 from the field, including 4-for-5 from three-point distance, with five rebounds to lead St. Thomas Aquinas in a meeting of two of the last three NCAA Division II East Regional Champions. Freshman Demetre Roberts was the only other Spartan in double-figures with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and three rebounds. Senior Kameron Murrell and freshman Osbel Caraballo each chipped in with nine points and six boards, while Murrell dished out three assists and Caraballo added two steals.

Junior Dan Largey led Stonehill with a season-high 23 points, including 19 in the first half, draining all three of his three-point attempts as part of 6-of-8 shooting from the field overall, while converting all eight free-throws to go with three rebounds and four assists. Classmate Brandon Twitty scored 13 of his season-best 19 points in the second half, finishing 7-of-10 from the floor, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, with two rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Owen Chose added a season-high 11 points and three assists, while senior Joel Berroa chipped in ten points. Junior Will Moreton pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go with nine points and two assists.

Twitty added 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from downtown. (PHOTO BY Greg Wall)

Stonehill led the entire first half, including an eight-point margin (22-14) after a Moreton jumper eight minutes in. The Skyhawks advantage was trimmed to two (46-44) at the end of the half and STAC grabbed its first lead (47-46) with a Sudan three-pointer a minute into the second. Berroa pushed Stonehill back in front, but the Spartans followed with a 16-2 run to open a 13-point lead (63-50) on a Roberts three-pointer six minutes in.

STAC stretched the lead to 15 (70-55) after another Roberts triple with 9:13 to play, but Stonehill made a late run. The Skyhawks pulled within five (72-67) after a Twitty three with 5:48 remaining capped a 12-2 run, in which he scored ten of those points.

Stonehill drew within a possession twice in the closing minutes, but could not pull even. Largey drew the Skyhawks within three (74-71) with a jumper with 3:26 remaining and then with a pair of free-throws (76-73) with 2:48 on the clock, but Sudan and Caraballo made jumpers to restore a seven-point cushion (80-73) with 63-seconds to go. Moreton buried a three-pointer at the other end to get the Skyhawks back within four, but Roberts sealed the win with two free-throws with four-seconds left before Chose capped the scoring.

Stonehill (1-1, 0-0 NE10) returns to action on Wednesday, when it hosts rival Bentley University for its home and Northeast-10 Conference opener at Merkert Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. STAC (2-0, 0-0 ECC) hosts Goldey-Beacom College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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