All it took was a little home cookin'.

After dropping their first two contests on the road, the St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team took full advantage of home court in their season opener, dominating Nyack by a score of 86-29. Shpresa Liharivec scored 16 points to lead five Lady Spartans in double-figures, including Briana Cook and Sara Oliveira, who each had career-highs with 12.

STAC set the tempo early, jumping to a 9-0 lead on the strength of sharp shooting by Liharevic. The visiting Warriors used a 7-1 run to trim the deficit to three, but the Lady Spartans would establish dominance over their young opponents, outscoring their foes 45-8 over the balance of the first half.

With a 40-point margin on the board, Coach Kim Lusk had the much-needed opportunity to go deep into her bench, as the women's squad was on the floor for their third game in four days. The reserves didn't disappoint and joined the starters in expanding on the decisive margin.

The shooting was impressive as Liharevic (6-of-10), Cook (6-11) and Oliviera (5-8) made the most of their scoring chances, as did freshman Ashley Montrechuk (4-6, career-high 10 points). Briana Sloper chipped in with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, and Sylvia Davis returned to the Aquinas Hall hardwood after an injury redshirt last season to post seven assists and four steals.

Despite suffering from foul trouble throughout the evening, Meghan Richards paced Nyack with nine points - including two three-pointers - with Brandone Roberts adding eight to go with nine rebounds. The Lady Spartans shot a solid 52% from the field (17-33), holding their foes to just 20% from the floor (9-45).

With the victory, the Lady Spartans improve to 1-2 on the young season. On the upcoming schedule, STAC will once again hold court in Sparkill this coming Saturday, November 19, when Southern Connecticut State University pays a call for a 1 pm start. They will return to action next Tuesday, November 22, as Goldey Beacom College takes the trip up the turnpike to Aquinas Hall, with tip-off set for 5:30 pm.