Sparkill, N.Y. - Stellar defense and a 39-point second half propelled #3 seed St. Thomas Aquinas College to a 63-49 victory over #6 seed University of the District of Columbia in the First Round of the East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday evening at Aquinas Hall.

STAC climbs to the .500 mark on the season with a 14-14 record, while UDC closes their 2021-22 campaign at 13-15.

The victory advances the Spartans to the ECC Tournament Semifinals, which will be held at top seed Daemen College (Lumsden Gym) in Amherst, N.Y. on Saturday, March 5, against No. 2 seed Molloy College in a 3:00 pm tip. PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Alexa Huertas paced the STAC offense with 17 points, while Victoria Kurisko (12 points), Erin Leary (12 points) and Sarah Ericson (10 points) also scored in double figures. Latavia Jackson led all scorers with 19 points for UDC. 

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 40.7 percent from the field (24-59) and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc (7-19), while District of Columbia shot 38.2 percent (21-55) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Six players recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Sarah Ericson and Victoria Kurisko led the Spartans with five assists each on the evening.
• Alexa Huertas made 6 of her 11 field goal attempts, with 5-of-9 going in from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Erin Leary went 5-for-9 from the floor.
• District of Columbia out rebounded St. Thomas Aquinas 36-34 in 40 minutes of action, with Erin Leary grabbing seven boards for the Spartans.
• STAC picked up six steals in the contest, with the UDC turning the ball over on 22 separate occasions.
• St. Thomas Aquinas outscored District of Columbia 52-24 after the five minute mark of the second quarter.
• The Spartans earned advantages in two team statistical categories over the Firebirds: Points off of Turnovers (20-10) and Second Chance Points (7-4).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A nip and tuck first six and half minutes of action, which included solid defense and missed scoring opportunities, led to UDC having a slim one-point advantage at 7-6.
• The Firebirds would extend their lead to four (10-6) on a Halia Ellis three, before STAC battled back to get within one, 10-9.
• UDC closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run to lead 18-9 through 10 minutes of play.
• Another run by District of Columbia, this time 7-2, to start the second stanza extended their lead to 14 (25-11).
• The visitors would maintain multiple 10-point advantages late in the frame. However, a three-pointer by Alexa Huertas in the final moments before the halftime cut the Spartan deficit to seven at 31-24.
• Alexa Huertas recorded nine first half points for STAC, while Latavia Jackson led all scorers with 15 points for UDC.
• Following the break, a STAC push closed the gap on the scoreboard to one (36-35) on an Erin Leary jumper with 5:45 left in the third quarter. The Spartans took the lead moments later (37-36) by forcing a turnover and getting a clutch Sarah Ericson bucket, forcing the Firebirds to burn a timeout.
• See-saw play between the squads ensued with both sides hitting shots. Tied at 38, St. Thomas Aquinas scored nine consecutive points to go up 47-38.
• UDC would score the final four points of the quarter on a pair of jump shots by Latavia Jackson to make it a 47-42 Spartan advantage through 30 minutes of action on the hardwood.
• The Firebirds would continue to hang around to start the fourth quarter, getting within one on the scoreboard (47-46), before STAC dropped the hammer, scoring 13 straight points and holding UDC scoreless for 8:33 on the clock to jump ahead, 60-46 with just under a minute to play.
• Halia Ellis picked up a late three for the Firebirds, before Victoria Kurisko capped off a gritty night for the Spartans with a trey of her own to close out the scoring.

UP NEXT:

The Spartans and Lions faceoff for the third time this season on Saturday, only this time on a neutral court. In the previous two regular season matchups, Molloy would rally late, winning both in dramatic fashion. On February 6 at Aquinas Hall, a late free-throw by Janel Moore forced overtime, before the visitors outscored the hosts in maroon and gold 11-7 to take the tilt, 73-69. In the series finale three days later on February 9 at Quealy Gymasium, a three-pointer by Gabriella Aspuru with 11 seconds to play gave Molloy a 53-52 victory.

2022 EAST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

First Round – Wednesday, March 2 at campus sites
7:00 p.m. - No. 5 Mercy 64 at No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan 70
7:00 p.m. - No. 6 District of Columbia 49 at No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas 63

Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 at Daemen
12:00 p.m. - No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan vs. No. 1 Daemen
3:00 p.m. - No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 2 Molloy  (PURCHASE TICKETS HERE)

Final – Sunday, March 6 at Daemen
12:00 p.m. - Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner