Last season, the St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team won the East Coast Conference regular season title, while Goldey-Beacom took home the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championship. The teams selected to finish first in their respective pre-season coaches' polls this season will square off at Aquinas Hall Tuesday evening at 5:30.
The Lady Spartans (2-2) are in search of the hat trick of home victories, after drubbing Nyack 86-29 a week ago and staging a stirring comeback for a 67-62 decision over Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday. Goldey-Beacom also enters the night at 2-2, as a 60-52 victory over the hosts at the American International College Tournament on Sunday provided them with a weekend split. This will be GBC's third game in four nights.
One year ago, Goldey-Beacom was considered by many as the surprise of the CACC, doing the near-impossible in stopping Holy Family University's historic home-court winning streak, and repeating the feat in the conference finals. HFU exacted a measure of revenge by ousting the Lightning from the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
If past is prologue, then this contest promises to be a barnburner. Nearly a year ago to the day, these teams squared off at the Joseph West Jones Center in Pike Creek, Delaware, for an exciting battle. A three-pointer by Shpresa Liharevic late in overtime spelled the difference in a 78-75 Lady Spartan victory. Liharevic led all scorers with 22 points and Briana Sloper added 18, while Akilah Sewell (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Irene Hudson (15 points) led the charge for the Lightning. St. Thomas Aquinas leads the all-time series, 2-1.
After Tuesday's tilt, STAC takes its act on the road to face Wilmington University (11/30), and Lincoln, Pa. (12/3) before returning to Sparkill to break the seal on the East Coast Conference schedule. St. Thomas Aquinas will host Queens College in a double-header, with the women's teams starting the action with a 5:30 tip-off. GBC will return home for their first of three straight, hosting Kutztown University on Saturday, November 26.