The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team, ranked #8 in the East in this week's D2SIDA media poll, captured a 72-57 victory over Roberts Wesleyan College in an East Coast Conference tilt at Aquinas Hall. The Lady Spartans are now 6-1 overall and 2-0 in ECC action, with Roberts falling to 5-4, 0-2.

Sam Burden and Alex Bertolino paced the balanced STAC attack with 14 points each, leading four scorers in double-figures. Brooke Fields led the way for the visiting Redhawks with a game-high 17 point effort.

Bertolino got the ball rolling with a three-pointer on the game's first possession, and STAC jumped to an early 7-0 lead.  The Redhawks closed the gap but a Burden trey in the final seconds of the first quarter capped a 9-2 run, giving the Lady Spartans a 21-9 cushion.

Roberts Wesleyan battled back in the second as Fields hit six straight foul shots to cut the margin to 32-25 at half. That momentum continued into the third quarter as Taylor Bynoe's three-point play brought the visitors to within 37-34 four minutes into the session.

Ruth Adams hit a pair of bucket to answer for STAC, but the Redhawks continued to battle, drawing to 43-42 on two Necedah James foul shots with 3:31 to play in the third. The Lady Spartans' tenacious defense would turn the game from there, holding RWC scoreless in a 7-0 run to close out the quarter with a 50-42 edge.

With the momentum now firmly on their side, St. Thomas Aquinas scored the first six points in the final frame to open a 56-42 advantage, and RWC was unable to draw closer than 10 from that point. STAC owned a 46-37 rebound margin, and shot 40% from the field (24-60), while holding their foes to just 29% (16-56). Kaitlyn McCue added 13 points and Adams chipped in 12 for the hosts.

The Lady Spartans play their next two on the road, traveling to Caldwell this Saturday for a non-conference game before returning to ECC action next Wednesday, December 7, at LIU Post. They will be back at Aquinas Hall to host NYIT on Saturday, December 10, with the 1:00 pm tip starting the double-header action, with the men's teams to follow.