Sparkill, N.Y. - Sophomore Erin Leary recorded her seventh double-double of the season, as the St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team defeated the University of the District of Columbia, 62-53 on Wednesday evening at Aquinas Hall to win its fourth straight contest.

STAC improves to 15-5 overall and 7-2 in the ECC, while UDC falls to 10-10 and 5-4.

Erin Leary led the way for the Spartans, posting 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Angelique Holguin picked up 10 points.

STAC shot 38.5 percent from the field (20-52), while UDC shot 26.8 percent (19-71) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Sarah Ericson led the maroon and gold with six assists on the evening.
• Erin Leary made 9 of her 13 field goal attempts, while Angelique Holguin went 5-for-10 from the floor.
• STAC out rebounded UDC 49-39, with Leary grabbing a game-high 10 boards.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up two steals, with the Firebirds turning the ball over on six separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in two team statistical categories over District of Columbia: Second Chance Points (6-5) and Points in the Paint (22-16).
• The game featured six ties and eight lead changes.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• STAC opened a 10-4 lead through the first five minutes of play, as Trinity Cheatom, Erin Leary, Sarah Ericson and Kaitlyn Watrobski all contributed to the early offense.
• Tied at 10-10 with a little over three minutes to play in the stanza, Cheatom and Alexa Huertas connected with late buckets to maintain a one-point advantage, 15-14 through 10 minutes of action.
• An 14-5 run by the Spartans to start the second quarter, allowed the hosts to build a 10-point lead at 29-19. Leary, Huertas and Angelique Holguin led the charge over a 5:03 span.
• UDC hit a pair of threes to close the first-half scoring and cut its deficit to just four, 29-25.
• Erin Leary led all scorers with 11 first-half points for the Spartans, while Shanell Haskins paced the Firebirds offense with nine points.
• When the teams returned to the hardwood following the break, UDC continued to power its way back with a 12-0 run between the second and third quarters to flip the scoreboard in their favor, 31-29.
• The Firebirds built a five-point advantage of its own (39-34), before an 11-0 streak by the maroon and gold put them back on top, 45-39 at the end of the third frame.
• A pair of Trinity Cheatom free throws opened the fourth quarter and increased the STAC lead to 47-39.
• The theme of the stanza would be Spartans earning trips to the foul line, as Alexa Huertas, Trinity Cheatom, Erin Leary and Kaitlyn Watrobski scored 10 of the 17 STAC points from the charity stripe, with Holguin (layup) and Leary (jumper & three-pointer) accounting for the other seven points on buckets.
• Strong defense was on display throughout the contest for the Spartans, as Holguin (2), Leary (2), Cheatom (2) and Karolina Jaruseviciute (2) combined to record eight blocked shots on the evening.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College heads out on the road for six of its seven remaining regular season games, first visiting the College of Staten Island on Saturday, January 28 (3:00 p.m.).