The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team captured a 64-52 East Coast Conference victory at Mercy College on the strength of Alyson Brennan's game-high 20 points and nine rebounds as the Lady Spartans are now 11-4 overall and 4-3 in ECC action, with Mercy falling to 4-10, 1-6.

A tight first quarter saw several lead changes before Alex Bertolino's late three-pointer, followed by a KC Sokolski lay-up, gave the Lady Spartans a 17-14 lead through 10 minutes.

That run would continue as Mercy would go scoreless for over six minutes in the second stanza as STAC scored the first 12 points, extending their lead to a healthy 29-14. Brennan had seven points in that outburst and her half-ending bucket gave the Lady Spartans a decisive 35-20 haltime lead.

Mercy would battle back to within 40-32 on a Casey Sullivan trey, but the Lady Spartans answered and held a 50-38 lead entering the final session. The Mavericks would again threaten, with a Sullivan free throw closing the gap to 58-52 with 2:25 left, but Brennan would ensure that her team would prevail with a lay-up and a three-pointer to dash the hosts' hope.

Alex Bertolino added 12 points and Jenna Erickson dished seven assists for the Lady Spartans, while Sullivan led the Mavericks with 15 points. STAC held a 40-33 rebounding edge, and tight defense held Mercy to just 37% shooting from the field (20-54).

The Lady Spartans completed their six-game road odyssey with a 4-2 record and return to Aquinas Hall for a big ECC showdown against the University of the District of Columbia on Thursday, January 14. Tipoff time is 6:00 pm, with the men's teams to follow in the back end of the double-header.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden