Staten Island, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team closed its 2021-22 Regular Season schedule on Saturday afternoon, with a 62-54 victory over the College of Staten Island at the Sports & Recreation Center.

The victory by the Spartans locks up the #3 seed in the upcoming East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, which begins on Wednesday evening with First Round matchups.

STAC wraps up the 2021-22 Regular Season on a five-game win streak, with a 13-14 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the league, while Staten Island drops to 6-20 and 4-14.

Alexa Huertas paced the Spartan offense with 15 points, while Julia Reggio (12 points) and Sarah Ericson (11 points) also scored in double figures. Gia Esposito (15 points) and Ashley Lambert (12 points) led the Dolphins in scoring.

STAC shot 37.5 percent from the field (21-56) and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc (8-19), while CSI shot 30.4 percent (17-56) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven players recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Victoria Kurisko led the Spartans with five assists on the afternoon.
• Chanel Brodeur-Muir made 4 of her 5 field goal attempts, while Julia Reggio went 4-for-7 from the floor.
• Staten Island out rebounded STAC 39-37 in 40 minutes of action, with Erin Leary and Chanel Brodeur-Muir grabbing eight boards each for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up six steals in the contest, with the Dolphins turning the ball over on 18 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over Staten Island: Points off of Turnovers (14-7), Second Chance Points (17-13) and Points in the Paint (20-10).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• CSI opened an early 5-3 first quarter advantage, before the Spartans scored six straight points via Alexa Huertas and Erin Leary treys to take a 9-5 lead.
• The remainder of the quarter was a see-saw affair, with both squads scoring at will and trading leads throughout. STAC would get a layup by Karolina Jaruseviciute before time expired to grab a 17-16 lead after 10 minutes of play.
• A pair of Erin Leary free throws got the scoring started in the second quarter, with the Spartans taking as much as a five-point advantage (21-16), before CSI would rally and go ahead by two (25-23) with just over two and half minutes to play before halftime. 
• STAC would tie the game at 25 all, but the host Dolphins went on a 6-3 run to close the first half and take a 31-28 lead into the locker room.
• Alexa Huertas, Erin Leary and Chanel Brodeur-Muir each recorded seven first half points for STAC, while Ashley Lambert and Gia Esposito led all scorers with nine points apiece for CSI.
• Following the break, Staten Island would go up by five points (33-28) on a Noemia Massingue jumper. However, the Spartans would not let the hosts continue to take advantage, as STAC would fight back, tie up the game at 36 all and eventually take the lead on a pair of three-pointers by Julia Reggio and Alexa Huertas to go up 42-36 with just over six minutes to play in the third stanza.
• While both sides fought for every inch of space on the court, it would be St. Thomas Aquinas that maintained its lead on the scoreboard and took a 46-41 margin into the final quarter.
• In the fourth quarter, CSI would power its way back to take a 50-48 lead, but the Spartans once again answered the bell, tying the game and re-taking the lead, this time for good, on a 13-2 run with the clock bleeding all the way down to the last 30 seconds to play.
• A pair of Gia Esposito free-throws, followed by Julia Reggio going 1-for-2 at the charity stripe, were the final points for the game and STAC took the 62-54 victory in its final tune-up before the postseason.
• Julia Reggio led the Spartan charge in the second half, scoring 10 points, but was also strong on the defensive end, picking up two key rebounds and forcing a steal.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College has earned the #3 seed in the ECC Women's Basketball Tournament, and will host #6 seed University of the District of Columbia in a first round matchup at Aquinas Hall on Wednesday, March 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm in Sparkill.

ECC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

First Round - Wednesday, March 2 (at Higher Seeds)

#3 St. Thomas Aquinas College (13-14) vs. #6 University of the District of Columbia (13-14)

#4 Roberts Wesleyan College (13-11) vs. #5 Mercy College (11-15)

Semifinal Round - Saturday, March 5 (at Daemen College)

#1 Daemen College (18-4) vs. Winner of Roberts Wesleyan/Mercy - 12:00pm

#2 Molloy College (16-9) vs. Winner of St. Thomas Aquinas/District of Columbia - 3:30pm

Final Round - Sunday, March 6 (at Daemen College)

TBA vs. TBA - 12:00pm

*TICKETS FOR ALL ECC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT GAMES WILL GO ON SALE BEGINNING NEXT WEEK*