The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team captured a 59-53 decision in an East Coast Conference battle at Molloy College. The Spartans, winners of eight straight, now stand at 18-3 on the season and remain perfect in conference play at 10-0, clinching a berth in the ECC Tournament with the win while Molloy dropped to 14-8, 6-4. STAC needs just three victories in its final six games to secure a first round bye to the tourney semi-finals, to be held at the University of the District of Columbia.

Zaria Thomas continued her recent hot hand with five points in a game-opening 13-4 run for the Spartans, though Molloy responded with 10 straight, taking a 14-13 lead on a Gabriella Aspuru bucket, though Ruth Adams quickly answered to give STAC a 15-14 edge through one quarter. The defenses reigned in the second with neither team scoring in the first three minutes, and a three from Thomas give the visitors a 20-14 edge. Though they led for the entire quarter, the Spartans' margin never exceeded six points as the game stayed close at 27-22 at intermission.

A 9-3 run to open the third - capped by another Thomas trey - gave STAC the biggest lead of the night at 36-25, but Kadijah Dickson replied with three straight buckets for the Lions to draw back within five points. Marthe Guirand ended the session with back-to-back hoops for the hosts, cutting the gap to 41-37 entering the final quarter.

Jenna Siletti opened the scoring for Molloy in the fourth to cut the margin to two, but back-to-back threes by Adams and Thomas reopened some breathing room at 47-39. The remainder of the affair saw the Lions close to as close as four points only to see STAC counter to retain their lead. Thomas led all scorers with 19 points, Adams added 15, and Emily Preston cleared a team-high 12 rebounds to lead the victorious effort. Guirand was the standout for Molloy with 16 points and 13 caroms.

The game was the first of four straight ECC road battles for the Spartans, who return to action in nine days for their Western New York swing. A first place battle is on tap at Daemen on Friday, February 14, followed by a contest at Roberts Wesleyan on Sunday, February 16. After traveling to Queens on Wednesday, 2/19, the team returns to Aquinas Hall to take on NYIT on Saturday, 2/22.