Sparkill, N.Y. - Three Spartans posted double-doubles as the St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team downed the College of Staten Island, 82-59, on Saturday afternoon at Aquinas Hall Gym to open a three-game home stand.

STAC improves to 6-2 and 1-1 in the ECC, while CSI falls to 3-5 and 1-1.

Erin Leary led the way for the Spartans, recording 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Trinity Cheatom (14 points), Karolina Jaruseviciute (12 points & 12 rebounds) and Sarah Ericson (10 points & 12 rebounds) also scored in double-figures.

STAC shot 45.1 percent from the field (35.3) and was perfect from the free-throw line (12-12), while CSI shot 32.4 percent (23-71) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven different players recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Sarah Ericson led the Spartans with six assists on the day.
• Erin Leary made 10 of her 21 field goal attempts, while Karolina Jaruseviciute went 6-of-8 from the floor.
• STAC out rebounded CSI 53-35 through 40 minutes of action, with Jaruseviciute and Ericson posting a game-high 12 boards apiece.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up six steals in the contest, with Staten Island turning the ball over on 13 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over CSI: Second Chance Points (13-5), Points in the Paint (40-18) and Bench Points (12-11).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• St. Thomas Aquinas opened the contest with buckets from Karolina Jaruseviciute and Sarah Ericson to lead 4-0, before a CSI three pointer finally got them onto the scoreboard.
• A 16-3 run by the Spartans gave them a 14-point advantage (20-6) with just over four minutes left in the first quarter.
• Staten Island closed to within 10 (24-14), but a late Erin Leary trey put STAC up by 13 at the end of the stanza, 27-14.
• STAC came out for the second quarter, posting a 12-0 scoring streak to lead 39-14 with five minutes to play before halftime.
• Despite a mild pushback by the visiting Dolphins, the Spartans continued to score at-will to take a 21-point advantage to the locker room (46-25) at the break.
• Trinity Cheatom, Erin Leary and Sarah Ericson paced the Spartans offense with 10 first-half points each, while Noemia Massingue posted 10 points of her own for the Dolphins.
• Following the intermission, STAC would continue to impose its will on Staten Island, getting scoring from Trinity Cheatom, Karolina Jaruseviciute, Erin Leary, Kaitlyn Watrobski, Joline Raposo and Melissa Alifano to maintain their double-digit lead (23 points), 65-42 through 30 minutes of action.
• In the final quarter of action, an Alifano layup, followed by a Raposo jumper extended the STAC advantage to 27 (69-42) with 8:31 to play.
• It was the Erin Leary show in the second half, as the Carle Place, N.Y. native recorded 16 of her 26 points in the final 20 minutes of action.
• STAC built its largest lead of the game late in the fourth quarter, as a Leary free-throw put the maroon and gold up by 29, at 78-49.
• One final CSI run (10-4) over the last three minutes closed the deficit 23, but it would not be enough as the Spartans ran the clock out to take their first conference victory of the season.

UP NEXT:

STAC hosts the reigning, defending ECC Champions, Daemen University on Friday, December 9, with the opening tip set for 5:30 p.m. at Aquinas Hall.