The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team pulled away for a 71-54 victory over Mercy College in an East Coast Conference contest at Aquinas Hall. Four Lady Spartans scored in double-figures as STAC improved to 8-10 overall and 4-5 in conference play, with Mercy falling to 7-9, 1-8.

With each team playing its third game in five days, defense set the tone early, forcing numerous turnovers each way. A low-scoring first 20 minutes saw the game tied on seven occasions, and STAC's early four-point lead was the largest either team enjoyed, though the visitors came out on top at the half by a narrow 29-27 margin.

Mercy recorded the first five points after the break, with Tatiana Parish hitting a three-pointer to give the Mavericks a 34-27 advantage. STAC would take charge in stunning fashion, however, with a fast-break offense keyed by a pair of KC Sokolski layups touching off a 17-2 run to put the Lady Spartans in a 44-36 lead.

By the midway point of the second half, STAC had completed a stunning 29-8 run, and the hosts would continue to build their lead to as many as 21 points in the convincing win.

Jenna Erickson led the Lady Spartans with 14 points, with Samantha Burden (12), Adiya Henderson (11 points, game-high 11 rebounds) and Sokolski (10 points) sharing in the offensive production. STAC shot 56% from the field in the second half (18-32) in blowing the game open, as St. Thomas Aquinas captured its second win in three games over a five day span, all on the home floor.

The Lady Spartans play their next two games on the road, starting on Thursday, January 22 with a trip to play the University of the District of Columbia. They will travel to the University of Bridgeport on Wednesday, January 28, before returing to Aquinas Hall to host Dowling College in a 1:00 pm start on Saturday, January 31.