Briana Sloper netted a game-high 17 points but it wasn't enough to prevent the St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team from falling to Dowling College, 59-51, at Aquinas Hall.

With the victory, Dowling improves to 11-3 overall, 4-0 in East Coast Conference play while STAC falls to 7-8, 2-3. The loss was the Lady Spartans' fifth straight. Connie Simmons led the way for the Golden Lions, recording 15 points and seven boards while teammate Julia Koppl chipped in with 10 points.

Neither team was able to establish control in a hotly contested first half until Rekik Worku's three-pointer keyed an 11-2 run to give the visitors a 31-21 edge late in the first half. The Lady Spartans battled back, with a Sloper trey drawing the hosts back to within 35-34 four minutes into the second stanza.

STAC's offense would then run cold, however, going scoreless over the ensuing four minutes and allowing the Golden Lions to extend their lead back to eight. Dowling would slowly pull away to a 51-38 lead, and while a 7-0 run gave the Lady Spartans hope, their opponents would not be denied on this night.

Dowling outshot St. Thomas Aquinas, 42% to 34%, with both teams shooting an identical 6-21 from behind the arc. The Golden Lions were dominant on the boards, outrebounding STAC by a 41-27 margin.

The Lady Spartans will have a week between games before returning to the floor for an ECC showdown with with NYIT on Wednesday, January 18 at Aquinas Hall. Tip-off time is scheduled for 5:30 pm as the front end of a twin-bill with the men's teams. You can watch all the action and follow along with Live Stats by clicking the appropriate schedule links at game time. STAC will then travel to face Mercy College on Saturday, January 21 in a 1 pm start before returning home to face the University of Bridgeport on Wednesday, January 25 with the action scheduled to commence at 5:30 pm.