INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP men's basketball team fell to a quality St. Thomas Aquinas group by an 81-64 tally on Saturday night inside the KCAC as part of the 2023 IRMC Thanksgiving Classic.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas (5-1) shot 52.5% for the game and over 50% from beyond the arc, stretching its lead to double figures for the majority of the second half, part of a relentless effort on both sides of the ball. Receiving votes in the NABC DII Top 25, the Spartans were led by reigning ECC Player of the Week James Patterson, who racked up a game-high 30 points with eight rebounds and two steals.
 
Patterson entered the game averaging over 26 points per contest with three doubles-doubles and delivered one of the top performances for a visiting player against IUP during the regular season in recent memory.
 
Meanwhile, IUP slips to 1-3 on the season in a challenging nonconference schedule, shooting 34.3% in the second half with just two made three-point baskets over the final 20 minutes. STAC used a decisive 15-3 run in the first half that lifted the visitors ahead for good.
 
Ethan Porterfield paced IUP with his 15th career 20-point scoring game, adding seven rebounds. Porterfield moved into sole possession of eighth place on the IUP all-time rebounding list on Saturday, passing Tom Kerstetter (653) with his third board of the night, bringing his total to 658.
 
Dallis Dillard posted 19 points (6-6 FT) over 37 minutes for IUP, while Garvin Clarke was also in double figures with 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Hawks had quality looks in the second half on multiple occasions but struggled knocking down timely chances, particularly from deep.
 
STAC outscored IUP 41-33 in the second half and finished with 14 three-point baskets. Jamal Barnes (6-8 3FG) poured in 18 points with three assists while Ethan Millirons finished with 16 points in 13 minutes, posting a team-high +18 mark.
 
IUP cooled off following a quick start, trailing 40-31 at the half. The Spartans shot 55.2% from the field and 58.3% in the opening half, getting double figures from James Patterson over the initial 20 minutes. The Spartans used a 15-3 run that spanned about seven minutes in the opening half to regain the advantage, while IUP endured a scoring drought that lasted over two minutes down the stretch.
 
A fastbreak triple by Dillard, spurred by a defensive rebound and go-ahead feed from Sarp Furtun, pushed IUP to its largest lead of the half at 19-12 with 15:08 showing in the opening stanza. Furtun posted four points and four rebounds in a quality 24 minutes off the bench.
 
Consecutive triples from the Spartans pushed them ahead for the remainder of the first half over the final 7:51. The Hawks committed eight first half turnovers with the Spartans capitalizing nine points off those miscues, including during its 15-3 blitz.
 
Porterfield trimmed the IUP deficit to six points at 51-45 at 16:03 with a triple from Jaylen Stewart. The Spartans rattled off a 10-2 surge in response, stretching their advantage 61-47 just ahead of the under-12 media timeout.
 
Damir Brooks finished through contact to get IUP back within single digits at 65-56, trailing by nine. The Hawks whittled the deficit to nine points once more at 6:27 before the Spartans finished out the victory.


Up Next
IUP finishes out the 2023 IRMC Thanksgiving Classic on Sunday, November 26 with a 5:00 p.m. matchup against Frostburg State inside the KCAC.
 
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