The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team clinched the #6 seed in the East Coast Conference Tournament with a 55-53 victory at Mercy. Kristen Olsen's late three-pointer helped seal the win as the Lady Spartans improved to 13-15 overall and 9-10 in the ECC, dropping Mercy to 8-18, 2-17.

Combined with Molloy's loss at Queeens College, the Lady Spartans have officiallly secured the sixth and final slot in the upcoming ECC Tournament, with opponent and location to be determined. The first round will be held on Wednesday, March 4, at the site of the higher seeds. The semi-finals and finals will be held at LIU Post on Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, with the winner of the ECC Championship earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament.

For ECC Standings, Click here.

Neither team was able to establish control in a tight first half that saw no lead exceed five points. Jenna Erickson's layup put STAC in a 24-19 lead with two minutes to play in the half, but Tanayzha Augustine followed with a pair of hoops to pull the hosts to within one at the break.

While the Mavericks regained the lead early in the second stanza, the tilt remained a tight one. The Lady Spartans seemed to be in the driver's seat when an 8-0 run turned a one-point deficit into a 45-38 lead after Samantha Burden's bucket with 5:40 left.

Mercy would rally, however, as a 13-4 spurt allowed the hosts to take a 51-49 lead on a Tanayzha Augustine layup with 1:46 left. With time winding down, Olsen's launch from the left side was on target, putting the Lady Spartans back on top with just 50 ticks remaining. Jenna Erickson, who recorded a team-high 19 points, drained three late free throws to lock up the decision. Brandone Roberts paced the Mavericks with a game-high 20 points.

The Lady Spartans close out the regular season on Saturday, February 28, when first place University of the District of Columbia pays a visit. Senior Day festivities will be held before the 1:00 pm tipoff, and the men's teams will take the floor for a 3:30 pm Senior Day start.