LAKEWOOD, NJ (Nov. 29, 2023) - Georgian Court Men's Basketball Senior Clint Wright, Jr. continued making history in his tremendous career in the royal blue and gold. Early in the second half, Wright, Jr. became just the fifth Lion to reach the 1,000 career point milestone. Wright finished with a career-high-tying 28 points but it wasn't enough as the Lions fell to 1-5 with an 87-70 loss against St. Thomas Aquinas.

How it Happened
• STAC entered the game No. 1 in the East Region and were ranked in the D2CSC top-25. They were also receiving votes in the Coaches Association top-25 poll.
• The Spartans were one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country, but on this night, it was their inside presence that determined the outcome. The Lions held STAC to just 5-26 shooting behind the arc. 
• Inside though, the Spartans were 20-45 and dominated on the glass, 51-33 including a 24-8 advantage in offensive rebounds.
• They also forced the Lions into 24 fouls and made 30-36 at the free throw line.
• Georgian Court shot 48% overall and hit 7-17 from downtown. They were just 11-22 at the stripe though.
• The Spartans forced 25 Lion turnovers and turned those into 25 points. STAC lost the ball just 17 times themselves.
First Half
• Georgian Court scored the first points of the game, a layup from TJ Braswell-Brown for a 2-0 lead.
• That was the only lead the Lions held. St. Thomas Aquinas hit a layup and a three-pointer for a 5-2 lead and never trailed again.
• Despite leading the rest of the way, the Spartans never put the Lions away.
• Consecutive GCU turnovers led to STAC points as they pushed their lead to seven, 11-4.
• Back-to-back three-pointers from Wright, Jr. got GCU to within one, 11-10, but the Spartans answered scored six straight.
• Over the final six minutes of the half is where the Spartans extended their lead. They outscored GCU 22-8, going 10-12 at the foul line while Georgian Court turned the ball over five times.
• Needing two points to reach 1,000, Wright. Jr had a good look at a three at the buzzer, but it hit iron and stayed out and STAC led 47-28 at the break.
Second Half
• The second half was evenly played and GCU outscored the Spartans 42-40. The Lions shot 57% and 5-10 from three in the half.
• The teams were trading baskets though so while STAC wasn't pulling away, GCU wasn't gaining much ground.
• Early in the half, Wright, Jr. took a pass and pulled up from the elbow and buried a jumper to score his 1,000th career point. 
• Midway through the second, St. Thomas Aquinas took their largest lead of the game as a James Patterson layup made it 71-46 Spartans.
• The Lions chipped away and outscored STAC by eight down the stretch, but time eventually ran out with St. Thomas Aquinas winning 87-70.

Lion Stat Leaders
• Clint Wright, Jr. led all scorers with 28 points going 10-17 overall and 6-10 from three.
• Amari Jones was also in double-figures with 13 points and eight rebounds.
• Justin Harper and TJ Braswell-Brown each scored eight.
• Anthony Rivera dished out seven assists with four points.

For the Spartans
• James Patterson scored 24 points helped out by going 11-12 at the foul line.
• Jamal Barnes added 15 with four steals.
• Luis Risquez scored 10 off the bench with seven boards.
• Lawrence Foreman grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

News and Notes
• Clint Wright, Jr. is the fifth Lion to reach 1,000 career points. He joins Nikola Vujovic, Keith Hughes, Juwuan Carter and most recently, Caleb Bowser, who hit the milestone in 2020.
• Wright, Jr. is also the fastest to 1,000 points, needing just 67 games to reach the mark.
• His 28 points tie a career-best which he did as a sophomore against Goldey-Beacom, nearly two years to the day, Dec. 1, 2021.
• Anthony Rivera's seven rebounds are the most by a Lion this season.
• Georgian Court falls to 1-4 all-time against STAC. Its the first time in the last three games they held the Spartans to less than 100 points. 

Up Next
• Georgian Court starts CACC play this weekend. They'll be on the road at Holy Family Saturday, Dec. 2. They have the early game in the men's-women's doubleheader with the Tigers with tip-off set for 1 p.m.