Worcester, Mass. - The 2022-23 season came to its conclusion for the St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team on Friday, but not before both players and coaches alike gained valuable postseason experience that will only serve to strengthen the Spartans for many years to come.
In its first NCAA Division II Tournament game since 2019, No. 7 STAC dropped a 65-44 decision to No. 2 Southern New Hampshire University at Laska Gymnasium on the campus of top seed and hosts Assumption University.
The Spartans close their campaign, going 21-9 overall and 12-4 in the ECC. Meanwhile, So. New Hampshire improves to 22-7 and advances to Saturday's semifinal against No. 3 Jefferson University.
Erin Leary paced the Spartans' offense in the final contest of the season with a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Adriana Timberlake led all scorers with 26 points for SNHU.
St. Thomas Aquinas shot 26.1 percent from the field (18-69), while Southern New Hampshire shot 42.3 percent (26-61) from the floor.
STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:
- Seven Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest.
- Julia Reggio led the Spartans with three assists on the afternoon.
- Erin Leary made 7 of her 18 field goal attempts.
- Southern New Hampshire outrebounded St. Thomas Aquinas 48-39 in 40 minutes of action, with Erin Leary grabbing a game-high 14 boards for the Spartans.
- STAC picked up seven steals in the contest, with SNHU turning the ball over on 18 separate occasions.
- The Spartans earned one advantage in team statistical categories over the Penmen: Second Chance Points (9-7).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Southern New Hampshire opened the NCAA quarterfinal with a 7-0 run, which forced the Spartans to call a time out in order to regroup and rally the troops.
- Karolina Jaruseviciute, Trinity Cheatom, and Erin Leary brought STAC back within four (9-5), scoring five of the next seven points over a minute and a half stretch.
- The teams continued to match each other, shot-for-shot to end the first quarter. SNHU led 22-14 through 10 minutes of action.
- Southern New Hampshire opened the second stanza with five straight points to push their advantage to 13, at 27-14.
- An Alexa Huertas trey and an Angelique Holguin jumper pulled the Spartans within 8 (27-19) with six minutes to play before halftime.
- After a Penmen basket, making it 29-19, STAC used a 9-0 run to cut its deficit to just one, 29-28 with 1:13 left to play in the frame.
- An SNHU layup in the final seconds of the quarter put So. New Hampshire ahead by three, 31-28 at the break.
- Erin Leary paced the Spartans' offense with eight first-half points, while Adriana Timberlake led all scorers with 14 points for the Penmen.
- When the teams returned to the court for the third quarter, SNHU rattled off seven straight points to increase its advantage to 10 (38-28), and forced the Spartans to burn another timeout in order to settle things down.
- Angelique Holguin's layup, followed by Alexa Huertas' jumper put STAC back within reach at 38-32 with just over six minutes left in the third frame.
- Southern New Hampshire scored 11 of the final 16 points to close the quarter with a 49-37 advantage.
- Long stretches of little to no scoring took place in the fourth quarter, with SNHU hitting a pair of free throws with nine minutes to play in regulation. STAC finally answered with a bucket from Huertas almost two minutes later to make it 51-39 in favor of the Penmen.
- Despite the Spartans continuing to fight and put up points, Southern New Hampshire would have an answer on each return trip down the floor.
- SNHU maintained double-digit leads down the stretch, earning its largest advantage (21 points) just before the final buzzer to secure the 65-44 NCAA triumph and eliminate St. Thomas Aquinas College from the postseason.
Provided by the St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information Department.
