Indiana, Pa. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team saw its share of struggles in a 78-64 road loss to Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon at the Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex in the Keystone State.

STAC drops to 3-3 on the season, while IUP improves to 4-1.

Starrell Hearns posted a team-high 20 points for the Spartans. Meanwhile, Dallis Dillard led all scorers with 21 points for the host Crimson Hawks.

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 40.4 percent (23-57) from the field and 83.3 percent (15-18) from the free-throw line, while Indiana (Pa.) shot 50.0 percent (29-58) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Ten Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest.
• Ky Panda-Massey led the maroon and gold with three assists on the afternoon.
• Starrell Hearns hit 7 of his 14 field goal attempts and all five of his free throws. Jamal Hicks, Jr. went 3-for-4 from the floor, 1-of-1 from downtown and 2-of-2 from the foul line.
• STAC out-rebounded Indiana (Pa.) by a slim 38-35 margin, with Jordan Green grabbing a team-high six boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas swiped 11 steals, with the Crimson Hawks turning the ball over on 21 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned one advantage in the team statistical categories over Indiana (Pa.): Bench Points (57-19).
• The game featured no ties and no lead changes.
• St. Thomas Aquinas trailed Indiana (Pa.) 47-24 at the half and shot 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from the field and 88.9 percent (8-of-9) from the free-throw line.
• Starrell Hearns led all Spartans' scorers with nine first half points, while shooting 50.0 percent (3-of-6) from the floor and 100.0 percent (3-for-3) from the foul line.

INDIANA (PA.) NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Crimson Hawks logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Dallis Dillard led Indiana (Pa.) with 21 points, while teammates Damir Brooks (19 points) and Tyler Grove (11 points) also scored in double figures.
• Kymani Merraro led Indiana (Pa.) with nine assists on the day.
• Dillard went 8-for-13 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three-point. Brooks connected on 9-of-12 field goal attempts.
• Brooks also grabbed a game-high nine boards for the Crimson Hawks.
• Indiana (Pa.) picked up 12 steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 22 separate occasions.
• The Crimson Hawks earned advantages in three key team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Points Off Turnovers (26-20), Second Chance Points (17-15) and Fastbreak Points (12-10).
• Indiana (Pa.) had its largest lead of the game (28 points) with less than five minutes to play in the first half, 38-10, on an Ian Herring layup.
• Dallis Dillard led all scorers at the half with 19 points for the Crimson Hawks, with Dillard shooting 77.8 percent (7-of-9) from the field and 100.0 percent (5-of-5) from long distance.
• Indiana's (Pa.) best shooting half came in the opening stanza, with the Crimson Hawks shooting 57.1 percent (20-35) from the field and 50.0 percent (7-14) from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT:

STAC opens East Coast Conference play on Wednesday, December 3 in our Nation's Capital against the University of the District of Columbia. Opening tip between the Spartans and Firebirds is set for 7:30 p.m.