Rockville Centre, N.Y. - Junior guard Sarah Ericson became the 23rd member of the prestigious St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball 1,000-Point Club on Wednesday evening, as the Spartans slipped past Molloy University, 59-51 at Quealy Gymnasium on Long Island.

STAC picks up its fifth straight victory and improves to 12-8 overall and 7-2 in ECC play, while Molloy slips to 8-11 and 3-6.

Sarah Ericson led the way for the Spartans, recording a game-high 19 points, while teammate Erin Leary tallied a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

STAC shot 35.7 percent (20-56) from the field, while Molloy shot 33.3 percent (18-54) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Erin Leary and Sarah Ericson led the maroon and gold with three assists apiece on the evening.
• Ericson hit 5 of her 11 field goal attempts, with 3-of-6 going in from beyond the arc. She was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Leary went 4-of-12 from the floor and 3-for-6 from long distance.
• Molloy out-rebounded STAC by a 39-34 margin, with Erin Leary grabbing a game-high 12 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up ten steals, with the Lions turning the ball over on 21 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over Molloy: Point off Turnovers (19-12), Fastbreak Points (5-2) and Bench Points (11-8).
• The game featured eight ties and nine lead changes.
• STAC's largest lead of the contest came late in the middle of the fourth quarter, when Spartans led by nine points, 51-42.
• Sarah Ericson hit and passed the 1,000-point mark on a two-point jumper with 6:01 remaining in the fourth quarter.
• St. Thomas Aquinas and Molloy took a 36-36 stalemate into their respective halftime locker rooms.
• Erin Leary (STAC) and Isabel Sanchez (Molloy) each recorded nine first half points.

MOLLOY NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven Lions logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Isabel Sanchez led her team with 12 points, while teammate Danielle Hippner (10pts) also scored in double digits.
• Sanchez led Molloy with three assists on the evening.
• Isabel Sanchez went 5-for-10 from the floor, with Hippner hitting 4 of her 9 field goal attempts.
• Trinity Hudson grabbed a team-high nine boards for the Lions.
• Molloy picked up eight steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 17 separate occasions.
• The Lions earned advantages in two team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Second Chance Points (10-6) and Points in the Paint (18-10).
• Molloy had its largest lead in the game (five points) midway through the first quarter.
• The Lions and Spartans combined to tally 10 total points in the third quarter, with STAC eking out an 8-2 advantage on the scoreboard. Molloy was held without a field goal in the frame, going 0-11 from the floor and 0-2 from three. A pair of Trinity Hudson free throws accounted for the host's points.

UP NEXT:

STAC takes its second win streak of four or more games this season to Queens College on Saturday, February 3. The Spartans and Knights will do battle inside of Fitzgerald Gymnasium, beginning at 3:00 p.m.