The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team fell to a tough 60-57 loss in an East Coast Conference showdown at Daemen College. The Spartans' 8-game winning streak came to an end as they dropped to 18-4 overall and 10-1 in the ECC, while Daemen now stands at 19-3 overall and moved into first place in the conference standings with an 11-1 record.

Daemen opened a 19-12 lead early in the second quarter, but STAC's offense found its rhythm with an 18-5 run, with a late three from Ruth Adams giving the visitors a 30-24 halftime lead. The Spartans retained the lead throughout the third quarter, opening a 45-37 lead on an Emily Preston three-point play with 2:03 remaining but the tide would turn from there.

STAC's offense stalled, going scoreless for a span of six minutes extending into the fourth quarter, as Tiara Filbert capped a 9-0 run to give the Wildcats a 46-45 advantage. Missy Sadler's three-point play briefly put the Spartans back on top, but three-pointers from Filbert, Autumn Buchsenschuz, and Jordan Heinold staked Daemen to a 57-51 advantage with 1:26 left.

Sarah Scerbak hit from deep to cut the deficit in half with 55 ticks remaining, and after a pair of Filbert free throws, Adams drilled a trey to close the gap to 59-57 with 45 seconds left. After Ashli Jeune split a pair at the line, STAC had one final shot to tie but Adams' deep attempt was off the mark. Adams led all scorers with 19 points with Thomas adding 13, while Filbert recorded 15 in leading four Wildcats in double-figures.

The Western New York swing concludes with a visit to Roberts Wesleyan on Sunday afternoon before traveling to Queens College on Wednesday, February 19. The Spartans return home to square off with New York Tech in a 1:00 pm start on Saturday, February 22.