AMHERST, N.Y. – Senior Jenna Erickson (Melrose, N.Y.) drilled six three-pointers and totaled 21 points to lead nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College to a 65-44 victory over Daemen College here tonight in women's basketball action. It marked the East Coast Conference opener for Daemen, which dropped to 2-7 overall and 0-1 in the ECC. STAC, which entered the game ranked 19th in the latest D2SIDA national poll, remained unbeaten on the year and improved to 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the league.

Defense has been a big part of STAC's success this season, as it entered the game ranked fifth among all Division II schools in scoring defense (48.9 papg). It marked the fourth time this season STAC has held an opponent to less than 50 points.

Senior Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) paced the Wildcats with 14 points and six rebounds. She has now scored in double figures in eight-straight games and tonight's effort put her over 1,400 career points. She has totaled 1,409 points in 90 career games. Sophomore Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y./Immaculata Academy) added 10 points and five rebounds, while junior Erin Egan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) scored seven points and established career-highs for rebounds (9) and blocks (6).

Erickson, who went 7-for-13 from the field overall and connected on 6-of-9 from downtown, also dished out five assists. Junior Julia Winnik (New York, N.Y.) went 4-for-6 from three-point land and finished with 16 points and three steals, while senior forward Adiya Henderson (Troy, N.Y.) added 10 points, seven rebounds and a team-high seven assists.

Both teams were coming off substantial layoffs, and it showed during a sloppy first half in which the teams shot a combined 13-for-63 (21%), committed 24 turnovers and scored a combined 38 points.

STAC took an 8-2 lead midway through the first quarter following a three-pointer by Winnik, but a three-pointer by Heinold with 1:39 left in the frame accounted for the only points over the final five minutes of the quarter and the visitors took an 8-5 lead into the second quarter.

Winnik's second three-pointer of the half gave the Spartans an 11-5 lead 26 seconds into the second quarter, but the Wildcats answered with five unanswered points and cut the lead to a point, 11-10, following a three-pointer by Saba two minutes into the frame. The STAC lead was 15-13 when the visitors put together an 8-0 spurt and took its first double-digit lead of the game, 23-13, following a three-pointer by Erickson with 3:13 left before halftime. Like the first quarter, the final three minutes of the second frame featured only one field goal by Daemen, and the Spartans took a 23-15 lead into halftime.

STAC took control during the third quarter, as it scored the first five points of the frame and later took a 35-20 lead following a three-pointer by Erickson with 3:25 left in the quarter. The lead was 39-25 when Erickson drained back-to-back triples to give the Spartans a 45-25 lead. STAC would take a 47-28 lead into the fourth quarter.

Daemen whittled the lead to 14 points, 49-35, early in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans regained control with eight-straight points. Erickson's sixth triple of the game capped the spurt and gave the Spartans a 57-35 lead with 5:44 to play. Daemen came no closer than 18 points down the stretch.

Daemen shot a season-low 22-percent (11-for-65) from the field overall and went 6-for-23 (26%) from three-point land. The Wildcats entered the game ranked first among ECC schools in three-point field goals made per game (8.6) and third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.345). The hosts made 16-of-19 from the charity stripe. After shooting just 22-percent from the field in the first half, STAC connected on 17-of-31 (55%) field goals in the second half and finished 25-of-67 (37%) from the field overall. The Spartans made 11-of-24 from downtown (7-of-10 in the second half) and connected on 4-of-11 free throws. Daemen finished with 48-37 edge in total rebounds, but the hosts committed a season-high 29 turnovers and STAC converted those mistakes into a 24-7 edge in points off turnovers.

The Wildcats are idle until next weekend when they travel to Mercy College (Dec. 15) and the University of Bridgeport (Dec. 17) for ECC games.

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