Sparkill, N.Y. - Despite receiving 19 points from both Sarah Ericson and Erin Leary, the St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team dropped its second straight contest, falling 71-65 to Southern New Hampshire University on Thursday evening at Aquinas Hall.

STAC closes out 2022 with a 9-4 record, while SNHU improves to 8-2.

The aforementioned duo of Sarah Ericson and Erin Leary led the Spartans with 19 points each.

STAC shot 36.8 percent from the field (25-68) while SNHU shot 37.5 percent (24-64) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nine Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Joline Raposo and Sarah Ericson led the maroon and gold with three assists apiece on the evening.
• Ericson made 7 of her 12 field goal attempts, while Erin Leary went 7-for-13 from the floor.
• STAC out rebounded Southern New Hampshire 44-42 in the non-conference tilt, with Sarah Ericson grabbing team-high seven boards.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up one steal, with the Penmen turning the ball over on nine separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned an advantage in one team statistical category over SNHU: Bench Points (13-8).
• The game featured one tie and no lead changes.
• STAC posted a record of 21-10 during calendar year 2022.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Erin Leary opened the scoring for the Spartans with five straight points, before a pair of free throws put Southern New Hampshire on the scoreboard at the 8:21 mark.
• A Joline Raposo layup and foul shot expanded the STAC lead to six, at 8-2.
• Kaitlyn Watrobski's bank three-point jump shot gave the hosts a 10-point advantage (13-3) with just over four minutes to play in the opening quarter.
• SNHU scored 11 of the final 13 points in the stanza to trail by just one point (15-14) through 10 minutes of action.
• The visitors opened the new stanza by hitting a three-pointer to take their first lead of the game, 17-15.
• Hot shooting by the Penmen extended their advantage by as much as 11 points (37-26) late in the second quarter, but a Joline Raposo layup in the final seconds before halftime cut the Spartans deficit back to single digits at 37-28.
• Erin Leary led all scorers with 15 first-half points for the STAC, while Adriana Timberlake paced the Penmen offense with 14 points.
• Four consecutive points by Karolina Jaruseviciute, to start the third quarter, brought the hosts back within five (37-32).
• However, a five-point streak by SNHU pushed their advantage back to 10 (42-32) with just over five minutes to play in the period.
• Southern New Hampshire opened up a 15-point lead, at 49-34, but the Spartans would continue to battle, cutting their deficit to 10 on multiple occasions over the final minutes of the third quarter to trail 53-43 through 30 minutes of play in Sparkill.
• Another spectacular start to a quarter by Karolina Jaruseviciute cut the STAC deficit in half, as the junior forward rattled off five straight points via jumpers and free throws to make it 53-48 with a shade under nine minutes left in regulation.
• The maroon and gold continued to fight back against a tough Southern New Hampshire squad, with Trinity Cheatom and Sarah Ericson taking their turns to bring the margin within three at 58-55 with five and a half minutes to play.
• Despite SNHU finding ways to score down the stretch, STAC tried to match the offensive output. Ericson (8pts), Erin Leary (1pt) and Melissa Alifano (1pt) attempted to bring their team back even, but a clutch three-point shot by the visitors, along with free throws that came from necessary fouling in order to preserve time on the clock, proved to be all the Penmen would need to secure the key regional victory.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College opens the new year at Aquinas Hall, hosting Jefferson University in a matinee game on Wednesday, January 4. Opening tip between the Spartans and Rams is set for 1:00 p.m.