AMHERST, N.Y. – St. Thomas Aquinas College connected on 13-of-21 three-point field goal attempts en route to an 81-54 victory over Daemen College in women's basketball action here tonight. STAC, which is ranked ninth in the latest D2SIDA East Region poll, has now won four of its last five games and improved to 10-3 overall and 3-2 in the East Coast Conference. Daemen dropped to 2-8 overall (0-4 ECC) following its seventh-straight loss.
Five players scored in double figures for the visitors. Freshman Chelsea Murphy (Wallkill, N.Y.) drilled three three-pointers and scored 15 points, while sophomore Jenna Erickson (Melrose, N.Y.) went 4-for-5 from downtown and totaled 14 points and four assists. Senior Alyson Brennan (Hicksville, N.Y.) connected on 3-of-4 three-pointers and finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Sophomore Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) battled through and ankle injury and finished with 19 points to pace the Wildcats. Junior Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) added 10 points, four assists and two steals for the hosts. McDonell has now scored in double figures in five-straight games.
STAC scored the first five points of the game and later took a 16-7 lead following a three-pointer by Murphy with 4:25 left in the first quarter. Daemen answered with an 9-0 run over the next two minutes that tied the game at 16-16. Saba sparked the run with a three-pointer and scored seven of the nine points during the rally. The Spartans took an 18-17 lead in the second quarter.
A three-pointer by junior Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y.) early in the second quarter gave the Wildcats a 22-21 lead, but a conventional three-point play by sophomore Adiya Henderson (Troy, N.Y) and a triple by Erickson sparked STAC on a 10-0 run. A layup by senior KC Sokolski (Elma, N.Y.) midway through the second quarter capped the run and gave the visitors a 31-22 lead. Daemen later cut the lead to five points, 31-26, following a layup by sophomore Liz Miles (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse), but STAC closed out the quarter with eight unanswered points. A buzzer-beating three-pointer by Brennan capped the rally and gave the Spartans a 39-26 halftime lead.
STAC secured the win during the third quarter. The Spartans held a 44-33 lead with just under six minutes left in the quarter when a three-point play by junior Kaitlyn McCue (Bergenfield, N.J.) ignited the visitors on a 15-0 run. The run featured back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore Alex Bertolini (Garnerville, N.Y.) and Erickson, and two free throws by freshman Ruth Adams (San Diego, Calf.) with 1:58 left in the quarter capped the run and gave the Spartans a 59-33 advantage. STAC took a 64-34 lead into the fourth quarter.
After shooting 54-percent (7-for-13) in the first quarter the Wildcats made just 12-of-38 shots over the final three quarters and finished 19-for-51 (37%) for the game. The Wildcats made just four three-pointers in the game (4-for-15) and connected on 12-of-17 from the charity stripe. STAC connected on 29-of-66 shots in the game (44%). The Spartans finished with a 43-31 edge in total rebounds. STAC collected 12 offensive rebounds, which led to a 14-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Daemen returns to action Saturday (Jan. 9) when it hosts Mercy college in an ECC game at 2 p.m.
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