Spartans Fall to Queens in Triple Overtime, 80-78
The St. Thomas Aquinas men's basketball team dropped a tough game to visiting Queens College, 80-78. Akeem Comas made a layup with seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 66 and force overtime. Comas finished with a team high twenty-five points shooting 9-13 from the field.
Queens guard Khaleef Allicott led the charge with a game-high 28 points, including the winning free throws with 17 seconds to go in the fifth and final frame, snapping the 17thand final tie. Allicott also added four assists and five steals, while connecting on 14 of 18 foul shots on the afternoon. Allicott knocked down two free throws to put the Knights ahead two in regulation with just seconds remaining before Comas made his layup.
The Spartans were down 62-55 in the final minute of regulation before Comas, Vincent Johnson and freshmen Ra'Shad James drained consecutive shots from behind the arc to climb back in the game and help force overtime. James finished with fourteen points and five rebounds while Johnson finished with nine points.
STAC was ahead 72-68 with 1:05 to play in the first OT, but buckets by sophomore guard Lamont Lans and Allicott evened things up yet again. Lans finished with14 points, six rebounds and three assists. The second OT featured a mere four points; two more Allicott foul shots with 54 seconds showing, and a jump-hook banker by junior forward Ahmed Allen who scored eight points off the bench.
In the final period, after Allicott's eventual winning free throws, the Spartans had a chance to win but turned it over in their final possession and the horn sounded. STAC shot 7-18 from behind the arc but couldn't hold Queens off the boards as the Knights held a 40-27 advantage in that category.
The Spartans will return to action as they travel to Adelphi on Wednesday.
