The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team captured a 59-49 East Coast Conference victory at Dowling College. KC Sokolski recorded a career-high 20 points for the Lady Spartans, who have now won six of their last eight games and stand at 13-5 overall and 6-4 in the ECC, while Dowling fell to 2-14, 2-8.

STAC held the Golden Lions to just 27 points through three quarters to build a comfortable 14-point lead in a game that was rescheduled due to the impending inclement weather. Alex Bertolino added 11 points for the Lady Spartans, while Kristina Surlan paced the hosts with 17.

Offense was hard to come by in the opening minutes for the Lady Spartans, as Dowling held an 8-2 lead midway through the first quarter. STAC's defense would turn the tide as Sokolski scored the first three points in an 8-0 run, though her team trailed by a 12-10 margin at the break.

Dowling would extend that margin to 20-14 midway through the second, but Alex Bertolino scored eight points in a 15-2 Lady Spartans run, giving them a 29-22 advantage at half. That momentum would carry into the third, with Sokolski's lay-up making the score 35-24 after five minutes of the third quarter.

Adiya Henderson's last-second putback gave STAC its biggest lead at 41-27 after three. The Golden Lions' stagnant offense showed up in a 22-point fourth quarter, but the lead was never in jeopardy, with the Lady Spartans opening a 17-point gap before a late burst closed the game to it's final tally.

After committing 15 first-half turnovers, St. Thomas Aquinas yielded just three in the second half, while outrebounding Dowling by a decisive 48-33 total.

The Lady Spartans return to action on Wednesday, January 27, traveling to Queens College for an ECC battle. They will then play at Molloy College on Saturday, January 23, before returning to Aquinas Hall to host NYIT on Wednesday, February 3, with tipoff set for 6:00 pm.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden