The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team fell to a tough 67-58 East Coast Conference loss at Queens College. Alex Bertolino led the Lady Spartans with 14 points as her team dropped to 13-6 overall and 6-5 in the ECC, with Queens improving to 10-6, 7-3.

STAC led the contest at the conclusion of each of the first three quarters, but the Knights would score the game's last seven points to secure the victory. Sam Burden added 12 points and Kate McCue 11 for the Lady Spartans, while Queens was paced by Kristin Korzevinski's game-high 21, with support from Madison Rowland's 15.

Offense was hard to come by in the early minutes for the Lady Spartans, as Queens rode a 7-0 run to an 11-6 edge, but STAC responded to grab a 15-13 lead at the break on a McCue bucket. That momentum carried into the second stanza as the visitors' run extended to 17-2, opening up a 23-13 lead on an Alex Bertolino three-point play. Queens would rebound, however, trimming the gap to 34-32 at half.

Six lead changed punctuated a frantic third quarter, but Jenna Erickson's late layup gave STAC a 50-49 margin with ten minutes to play. An Erickson three-pointer made the difference 53-49 one minute into the final session, but the Lady Knights responded with the next nine points to grab a lead they would not relinquish.

With the hosts holding a 60-58 lead, KC Sokolski's hoop trimmed the margin to two with just 90 seconds remaining, but with the shot clock winding down on the following possession, Madison Rowland hit a three-pointer as Queens would then pull away from the foul line.

The Lady Spartans return to action on Saturday, January 30, traveling to face Molloy College in another ECC showdown. They return to Aquinas Hall on Wednesday, February 3, hosting New York Institute of Technology in a 6:00 pm tipoff.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden