The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team fell to a 62-53 non-conference setback at the University of New Haven. Jenna Erickson led all scorers with 17 points but her Lady Spartans dropped to 7-3 on the season, with New Haven improving to 5-4.

Much of the damage was done in the first quarter, as the hosts exploded on a 13-0 run to open an early 20-5 gap, which would turn into a 23-8 lead after one quarter.

Despite the slow start, the Lady Spartans were far from done, as Kate McCue's second quarter bucket capped a 17-3 STAC run, drawing the gap to within 28-25 with less than three minutes to halftime. The Chargers would weather the storm with the final four points of the session and a 34-27 halftime lead.

After an early Erickson layup brought the third quarter deficit to five, New Haven would pull away, extending their advantage to as many as 14 before the quarter's end. The Lady Spartans made one final push on the strength of a 9-0 run, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.

Samantha Burden came off the bench to score 13 points and Alex Bertolino added 11 for STAC, while Briana Bradford led three Chargers in double-figures with 15 points. UNH dominated the glass to the tune of a 42-26 rebounding margin, while perimeter shooting was the bane of the Lady Spartans, who went just 1-14 from deep.

The Lady Spartans will play their next five games on the road, starting with a trip to Southern Connecticut State on Sunday, December 20, with tip time set for 1:00 pm. They will then be off until traveling to Pace University on December 31.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden