The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team put up a tough battle but came up short in a 67-60 East Coast Conference setback against the University of Bridgeport at Aquinas Hall. Shpresa Liharevic, honored along with Bianca Kowgios on Senior Day, netted 22 for STAC but the Lady Spartans fell to 13-14 overall, 9-8 in the ECC while Bridgeport improved to 16-8, 11-5.

In a contest between teams battling to secure home court advantage for the first round of the upcoming ECC Tournament, the game lived up to its billing, featuring 10 ties and an equal number of lead changes. Neither team enjoyed a lead of more than three points until a Liharevic three-pointer with just under nine minutes left in the first half put STAC up by a score of 21-17.

St. Thomas Aquinas would lead by as many as five at 30-25 before Bridgeport utilized a 13-2 run to take a 38-32 edge in the final two minutes of the session. The Lady Spartans would find their bearings, netting the final two buckets to enter the locker room trailing, 38-36.

Sara Oliviera converted a lay-up with 8:31 left to tie the score for the 10th and final time at 51-51. The Purple Knights would then embark on a 7-0 run to take the lead for good, with Tanisha Carter recording three of her game-high 25 points during the spurt. STAC would draw back within three when Liharevic nailed a trey and was fouled to complete the four-point play, that that was as close as the hosts would come in the final minutes.

The Lady Spartans will be off until Saturday, March 2, when they close the regular season with an ECC battle at Queens College. STAC has already clinched a berth in the post-season tourney, which takes place the week of March 4th with site and opponent to be determined.