The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team rode a big third quarter to a 71-53 East Coast Conference victory over Mercy College at Aquinas Hall. Jenna Erickson led all scorers with 20 points as the Lady Spartans improved to 15-10 overall and 8-9 in the ECC, while Mercy dropped to 6-18, 3-13.

Combined with Molloy's home loss to Queens, STAC has moved into fifth place in the conference standings, looking to capture one of the six berths in the upcoming East Coast Conference Tournament.

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After a sluggish first quarter ended with a 12-10 STAC lead, utilizing runs of 7-0 and 10-2 to open a 13-point halftime gap at 29-16. The Lady Spartans opened a 20-point gap midway through the third quarter at 48-28, but the Mavericks rallied to trim that margin to 51-39 after three.

Any hopes of a Mercy rally were quickly dashed by a pair of Erickson jumpers - one from beyond the arc - and the Lady Spartans' 56-30 was enough to cruise to the victory from there.

Alex Bertolino added 17 points, and Alyson Brennan chipped in 10 points and 11 boards in the home squad's win. Paxton Reddington led Mercy with 16, while Deasia Goodson battled foul trouble but still flirted with a triple-double, scoring eight points, grabbing 11 boards, and swatting eight blocks.

STAC outrebounded the Mavericks by a 46-38 count, and the defense forced 22 turnovers while the Lady Spartans yielded just 10 for the evening.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Lady Spartans head to the University of the District of Columbia on Sunday, February 21 before traveling to the University of Bridgeport on Wednesday, February 24. They will play their final home game on Saturday, February 27, when Dowling College pays a visit, with Senior Day festivities preceding the 1:00 pm start, with the men's teams to follow.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden