The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team fell victim to a lost weekend in the City of Brotherly Love, coming up short against Philadelphia University by a 60-53 margin. Shpresa Liharevic had the hot hand for the Lady Spartans, netting a team-high 19 points, but it was not enough to prevent her squad from falling to 0-2 on the season.
As was the case in Saturday's 71-66 setback at University of the Sciences, the visiting Lady Spartans broke on top early, scoring the contest's first five points. While STAC led for much of the first half, the offense sputtered late in the session, with the host Rams taking charge on the strength of a 20-7 run that extended into the early minutes of the second stanza.
After trailing by as many as 12, the Lady Spartans cut the deficit to as little as four on several occasions, but Philly U was able to hold off the charge for the victory. Liharivec hit four three-pointers as part of her tally, and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line. Her STAC team never found the range from the field, however, shooting just 32% overall (19-59). Briana Sloper added eight points, Kim Vareles paced her team on the boards with eight rebounds, while Bianca Kowgios chipped in with five assists.
The Lady Spartans were unable to find an answer for Rams center Christine Wooding, who recorded a dominant 23-point, 18 rebound effort in playing the full 40 minutes. Stephanie Agger chipped in with 10 points as Philadelphia U improved to 2-0 overall.
STAC's women's basketball team returns to action this Tuesday, November 15, when the friendly confines of Aquinas Hall will be the site of the 2011-2012 Home Opener between the Lady Spartans and nearby rival Nyack College. Tip-off time is set for 5:30 pm as part of a double-header that will see the men's teams square off at approximately 7:30. It will be the season opener for the Spartans men's squad.
Both games will be broadcast live via New Media Television Sports - to catch all of the action, follow the link the on the team schedule page or click here.