The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team took a big 76-55 East Coast Conference victory over Dowling College at Aquinas Hall. Samantha Lane and Sabrina Eggink netted 14 each for the Lady Spartans, who improved to 9-12 overall and 5-7 in the ECC while dropping Dowling to 4-14, 4-8.

Samantha Burden reeled off six early points in staking STAC to a quick 11-0 lead after three minutes of play and the hosts never looked back. Krstina Surlan's jumper brought Dowling to within 13-7, but Eggink heated up from the perimeter to spark a 13-4 run.

Again, the visitors would battle back, trimming the gap to 30-25, but the Lady Spartans would pull away with another burst, with Lane and KC Solkoski combining to net the next seven points, as the Lady Spartans would take a 43-31 lead into halftime.

Despite a slow offensive start after the break, STAC was able to stay in charge eventually pushing their gap to as many as 25 points in taking home the conference win. Jenna Erickson added 11 points and eight assists, with Kate McCue chipping in nine points and Burden and Sokolski adding eight each. Christine Verrelle set the pace for Dowling with a game-high 18 points.

In addition to their scoring balance, STAC provided the passing attack on offense, accounting for 24 assists on 29 field goals while yielding just 15 turnovers for the afternoon.

The Lady Spartans return to action for another big East Coast Conference test on Wednesday, February 4, when Queens College visits Aquinas Hall. Game time is set for 6:00 pm, as the front end of a double-header before the men's teams hit the floor.