STATEN ISLAND, NY. —The Assumption University men's basketball team pulled away down the stretch, as they rallied to defeat St. Thomas Aquinas College 98-90 in the second day of the Tournament of Heroes at the College of Staten Island. 
 
THE BASICS:
Scores: Assumption University 98, St. Thomas Aquinas College 90
Records: Greyhounds (2-0, 0-0 NE10), Spartans (1-1, 0-0 ECC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The highly anticipated rematch of the NCAA East Regional Championship began with Daouda Dembele opening the scoring with a solo seven-point run. The Greyhounds commanded the first few minutes of action, leading 11-2. The Spartans fought back with a 12-point run to take the lead. Despite feeling like a back-and-forth half, this would be the only time in the first half that the teams exchanged the lead. Saint Thomas Aquinas managed to distance themselves from Assumption by 10 points, leading 53-43 at the half.
 
It was a similar hot start for the Hounds in the second half. It took under five minutes for the Blue and White to erase the Spartans' lead. Assumption was trailing 55-53 when Zee McCown pulled off a spin move through double-coverage on the baseline, rolling in a layup to tie the score with a great display of skill. Noah Payne was a pest in the best way for the Greyhounds, constantly making buckets from all ranges or getting Spartans to foul him on his way to the hoop. 
 
He went 4-5 from three-point distance. Noah brought the most Payne to the Spartans with a deep three-pointer to give Assumption an 86-80 lead with three minutes to go. Through the rest of the game, the Greyhounds held their stride against the Spartans' best attempt for a comeback, closing the game ahead by eight.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Noah Payne had a team-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while adding three rebounds and assists. 
• Zee McCown was the chief distributor, assisting seven Greyhound baskets while contributing nine points and four rebounds.
• The Greyhounds had 10 steals in the contest, led by Baril Mawo, who collected four. 
• Assumption shot 41.7% from beyond the arc, while St. Thomas shot 33.3%
• The Hounds turned 22 Spartan turnovers into 30 fastbreak points. Assumption had eight fewer turnovers in the contest. 
• Assumption leads the all-time series 5-3.  

 
UP NEXT:

• Assumption vs. Post University, Wednesday, November 19, 7:00 pm 
• St. Thomas Aquinas at Jefferson University, Wednesday, November 19, 8:00 pm

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