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Brennan's 23 Points Lifts STAC Women's Hoops to Comeback Victory

Brennan's 23 Points Lifts STAC Women's Hoops to Comeback Victory

Game Leaders

Southern Conn. St.
Pts: Taylor McLaughlin - 20
Reb: Taylor McLaughlin - 10
Ast: Nicole Grossbard - 9
St. Thomas Aquinas
Pts: Alyson Brennan - 23
Reb: 2 Players (#12, #42) - 12
Ast: Alyson Brennan - 4

Team Stats

Southern Conn. St.
St. Thomas Aquinas

Field Goals

(22-64)
(19-52)

Field Goal %

34.4%
36.5%

Rebounds

37
46

Assists

13
10

Turnovers

16
18

Pts off Turnovers

17
10

2nd Chance Pts

14
13

Pts in the Paint

28
28

Fastbreak Pts

2
2

Bench Pts

35
14
full stats
Posted: Nov 09, 2013

The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team erased an 11-point second half deficit to defeat Southern Connecticut State, 67-62 in their season opener at Aquinas Hall. Alyson Brennan led all scorers with 23 points. Sabrina Eggink added 13 points for the Lady Spartans.

With a new look entering the season, the Lady Spartans grabbed an early advantage only to see Southern Connecticut utilize a 10-2 run to grab an early 14-8 edge. STAC battled back to trim the margin to 18-16 on a Lexi Breheny layup, but the Owls would answer with a 9-2 burst to open their biggest lead of the half at 27-18.

Brennan's free throws in the final minute brought the Lady Spartans to within 32-27 at the halftime break, but SCSU would recapture the momentum. A 7-0 run capped by a Taylor McLaughlin basket gave the Owls a 45-34 gap with under 13 minutes remaining, but the hosts were far from finished.

Sara Oliviera broke a four-minute scoring drought with a pair of free throws, and the Lady Spartans would take charge from there. Foul shooting would be a key in STAC's 24-10 outburst, with the Lady Spartans sinking 15-of-16 free throws during that eight minute stretch, with Brennan accounting for 10 of those points to give her team a 59-55 lead.

Jackie Beathea's layup for SCSU with 3:12 to play would tie the score at 60-60, but Eggink would answer quickly with a bucket as the Lady Spartans would score the next five points to secure the victory.

Brennan and Eggink also led the battle of the boards with each grabbing a game-high 12 caroms, as STAC outrebounde SCSU, 46-37. McLaughlin led the Owls attack with 20 points and 10 rebounds, with teammate Maria Wesleyj chipping in with 13 - both coming off the visiting bench.

The Lady Spartans return to action on Friday, November 15, taking on Nyack College at the Dominican College tournament in a 7:30 pm start. They will then face Dominican at 2:00 on Saturday, November 16, before returning to Aquinas Hall to open the East Coast Conference schedule against the University of District of Columbia on Saturday, November 23.