The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team saw its two-game win streak snapped at the University of the District of Columbia, 54-44. Briana Sloper continued to set the pace for the Lady Spartans, recording 15 points. The victory was UDC's sixth straight and improved their record to 16-3 overall and 7-2 in the East Coast Conference while STAC fell to 9-10, 4-5.
Both teams struggled to find the range in an evenly-played first half, with the host Firebirds holding a narrow 18-17 edge with just under five minutes remaining. Julissa Anderson's three-pointer got the hosts going, however, starting a 14-2 outburst that would send UDC into the locker room with a 32-19 cushion.
St. Thomas Aquinas came out of the break in strong fashion, as Shpresa Liharevic recorded five points in a 7-0 run to trim the deficit to six. The defenses would then take over, as UDC continued to run cold but STAC would not take advantage, recording just one point over the ensuing six minutes of play. The Firebirds would only extend their edge to 34-27.
Liharevic's trey at the midway point would slice the margin to four, but Stacey Griffith would post two straight buckets in a 8-0 surge to give UDC a cushion they would hold the rest of the way.
Lauren Brittingham led the way for the Firebirds, topping all scorers with 18 points, while teammate Julissa Anderson added 12. Liharevic posted 11 points for St. Thomas Aquinas.
Turnovers and shooting woes continued to plague the Lady Spartans, as they mishandled the rock 23 times to 16 for District of Columbia. From the field, the Firebirds shot 34% on 21-of-61, while STAC was held to 28% on 16-of-57. STAC had a decisive margin on the glass, 47-38.
Today's contest was the Lady Spartans' first of a string of five out of seven on the road, continuing at Queens College in a 5:00 pm tipoff this Wednesday, February 1. They return to Aquinas Hall to take on Molloy in a 1:00 pm matinee on Saturday, February 4, with these contests as part of double-headers preceeding games featuring the men's squads.