The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team continues its 2023-24 post-season run, battling #2 seed Mercy University on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 pm at Lumsden Gym on the campus of Daemen University in Amherst, N.Y.
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For More Information, visit ECC Women's Basketball Championship Central
The Teams - St. Thomas Aquinas - The #2 seeded Spartans (18-11, 11-5) advanced to the semis on the strength of Wednesday's 62-52 home victory over D'Youville University. ECC First Team All-Conference selection Erin Leary led the way for STAC with 28 points and averages 14.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Fellow All-Conference First Teamer Sarah Ericson (16.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg & 2.7 apg), along with Trinity Cheatom (9.3 ppg) and Karolina Jaruseviciute (5.1 ppg) contribute to a lineup that currently ranks fourth in team scoring (63.4 ppg) and third in defense (59.1 ppg) within the ECC.
The Teams - Mercy - The #2 seeded Mavericks received a first-round bye and enter tournament play with a record of 19-8 overall, 12-4 ECC. Mercy has a dynamic lineup featuring the three well-rounded players in Katie Wall (16.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.7 apg), Jaclyn Stanavich (15.4 ppg & 6.1 rpg) and Angelina Barrera (10.6 ppg & 8.7 rpg). Mercy possesses the fifth best offense, scoring 62.0 points per game and the top defense in the ECC, allowing only 57.2 points per contest.
Season Series (Split 1-1):
December 2, 2023, @STAC 73, Mercy 59 - The first meeting of these squads saw the Spartans take a 39-33 lead into halftime and only allow nine fourth quarter points to the Mavericks en route to their first conference victory of the season. Trinity Cheatom led the maroon and gold with 21 points, while Sarah Ericson posted a double-double, 15 points and 13 rebounds and Erin Leary recorded 12 points. Katie Wall led all scorers with 28 points and 10 rebounds for Mercy, as Jaclyn Stanavich (16 points) and Angelina Barrera (12 points) also scored in double figures.
March 2, 2024 - @Mercy 57, STAC 52 - In the rematch in Dobbs Ferry on the final day of the regular season, a 21-21 halftime stalemate was broken open by the Mavericks with a 15-8 third quarter. run. While the visitors from Sparkill outscored the hosts in the final stanza, it was not enough and Mercy took the victory on their home court by five points. Sarah Ericson led all scorers with 25 points, while Trinity Cheatom (14 points) and Erin Leary (13 points and 13 rebounds) also posted double-digit point totals. The Mavericks were led by Jaclyn Stanavich's 19 points and Katie Wall with 17 points.
What's Next? - The winner of this game will advance to the ECC Tournament Final on Sunday, March 10, at 12:00 pm at Lumsden Gym. They will take on the winner of the Saturday 12:00 pm semifinal between #1 Daemen and #4 District of Columbia. Like Mercy, Daemen earned a bye into the semis, while UDC advanced with a 70-67 come-from-behind home victory over the College of Staten Island on Wednesday night.
2024 EAST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round – Wednesday, March 6 at No. 3 and No. 4 seeds
6:30 PM - No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas 62, No. 6 D'Youville 52
7:00 PM - No. 4 District of Columbia 70, No. 5 Staten Island 67
Semifinals – Saturday, March 9 at Daemen (Amherst, N.Y.)
12:00 PM - No. 4 District of Columbia vs. No. 1 Daemen
2:30 PM - No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 2 Mercy
Final – Sunday, March 10 at Daemen (Amherst, N.Y.)
12:00 PM - Semifinal winner vs. semifinal winner
BROADCAST/LIVE STATISTICS INFORMATION
For those who cannot be in attendance, Saturday's Game will be broadcast LIVE on the ECC Network.
Live statistics will also be available for fans to follow all of the game action, if you cannot make it to Lumsden Gym or watch the web stream.
TICKET PRICING
First Round and Final
$8 - General Admission
$4 - Students with ID, Senior Citizens, Children Ages 5-12
Children under 5 free for all games
Semifinals (Ticket is good for both games)
$12 - General Admission
$6 - Students with ID, Senior Citizens, Children Ages 5-12
Children under 5 free for all games
* Tickets must be purchased at the link above. Due to the seating capacity of the tournament venues, it is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance. The ECC will not guarantee that tickets will be available at the door. *