The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team posted a 72-58 victory over Goldey-Beacom College in a non-conference contest at Aquinas Hall. The Spartans, ranked #10 in last week's D2SIDA East Region poll, now stand at 6-1, with GBC slipping to 4-4.

Playing at home for the first time since November 10, the Spartans wasted little time pressing their home court edge as Julia Winnick recorded five points in an 11-2 run to give STAC an early 13-5 advantage. Goldey rallied to within 18-16 by the end of the session on the strength of Alanna Speaks late three-pointer.

As they have done so well of late, the Spartans opened some breathing room in the second quarter, outscoring the Lightning by a 20-11 count to open a 38-27 halftime gap. Zaria Thomas hit a pair of treys as part of a 16-3 burst, as over the past five games St. Thomas Aquinas has now outscored foes by a 78-42 count in second quarters.

Goldey-Beacom would not draw closer than eight points in the second half as STAC's lead swelled to as many as 16 points in the final frame to secure the win. Thomas led four STAC players in double-figures with 16 off the bench, with Emily Preston (12), Chelsea Murphy (12) and Kellyann Averill (11) contributing to the balanced attack. Tanner Turner-Rush was a bright spot for the Lightning, pouring in a game-high 19 points.

The Spartans open their East Coast Conference schedule on Wednesday, December 5, traveling to face Mercy College with double-header action starting at 5:00 pm, followed by the men's teams squaring off. They will play three of their next four at home to close out the calendar year, starting with Bridgeport invading for another conference twin-bill on Saturday, December 8, with tip-off at 1:00 pm.