The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team shook off a slow start for a 70-65 East Coast Conference victory at the University of Bridgeport. Jenna Erickson had 20 points as the Lady Spartans clinched an ECC Tournament berth, winning their fourth straight to improve to 17-10 overall and 10-9 in conference, with Bridgeport falling to 9-18, 7-12.

STAC will finish with either the fifth or sixth seed, and their opponents and playoff schedule will be determined after Saturday's regular season finale. With their 10-9 record, the Lady Spartans are 1/2 game ahead of Molloy for the #5 slot, with the Lions having a game in hand and a tiebreaker advantage.

With their season on the line, the Purple Knights roared to a 9-1 start over the first six minutes of play, but Alyson Brennan hit a pair of threes to help trim the mark to 11-10 after one quarter. From there, the battle was on.

An Erickson three followed by a Sam Burden hoop gave the visitors their first lead at 15-13, but the lead would change hands several times before Alex Bertolino's three pointer in the dying seconds gave STAC a 27-25 halftime edge.

In all, the score was tied five times with 13 lead changes. The Lady Spartans looked to gain a little breathing room with a 42-36 lead late in the third, but UB charged back with a 9-2 run, as Nicole Johnson's last-minute layup gave the Purple Knights a skinny 45-44 advantage heading into the final quarter.

Erickson's jumper put STAC on top in the opening minute, but the contest remained tight until another Erickson hoop with 3:22 left provided a seemingly comfortable 61-54 cushion. A pair of Evelyn Ovner jumpers capped a 6-0 run to bring Bridgeport to within a point with over a minute left, but yet another Erickson trey and six consecutive free throws kept St. Thomas Aquinas on top at the final buzzer.

Alex Bertolino added 16 points among the four STAC scorers in double figures, and she was joined by teammates Kate McCue (11) and Alyson Brennan (10). Brianna Stoddart paced four Purple Knights in double-figures with 17.

The Lady Spartans close out the 2015-16 regular season at Aquinas Hall on Saturday, February 27, hosting Dowling College in a 1:00 pm start. Senior Day festivities will be held before the tipoff, with the men's teams to follow at 3:30.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden