Amherst, N.Y. - Despite three Spartan starters scoring in double figures, the St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team suffered its second straight defeat, falling to Daemen University, 77-68 on Friday evening at Lumsden Gymnasium.

STAC slips to 17-7 overall and 9-3 in the ECC with the loss, while Daemen improves to 16-4 and 11-3.

Sarah Ericson led the Spartans with 26 points, while Trinity Cheatom (16 points) and Erin Leary (12 points) also scored in double-figures.

STAC shot 37.3 percent from the field (25-67), while Daemen shot 45.8 percent (27-59) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Sarah Ericson, Trinity Cheatom and Erin Leary led the maroon and gold with two assists apiece on the evening. 
• Ericson made 10 of her 17 field goal attempts, with five coming from distance. Meanwhile, Erin Leary went 5-of-14 from the floor.
• Daemen outrebounded STAC 42-33 in the ECC tilt, with Sarah Ericson grabbing a team-high eight boards.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up seven steals, with the Wildcats turning the ball over on 13 separate occasions.
• The game featured five ties and seven lead changes. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• STAC opened the scoring with a Angelique Holguin jumper 1:07 into the contest and it would take almost two additional minutes for another basket to be made, with Daemen evening the score at 2-2 on a jump shot of their own.
• The scoreboard would flip back and forth with both sides taking three-point advantages (7-4 STAC and 10-7 Daemen).
• Julia Reggio's jumper with 1:40 remaining in the stanza cut the Spartans deficit to 10-9 and would be the final points scored in the first quarter.
• St. Thomas Aquinas once again hit the first basket to start a quarter, with Joline Raposo draining a bucket of her own to give the lead back to the maroon and gold at 11-10.
• Six straight points via a pair of threes by Daemen put the Wildcats back in the lead, 16-11. However, a Sarah Ericson trey of her own brought STAC back to within two, 16-14.
• The hosts from Amherst took a three-point lead (25-22) on another clutch three-pointer, but the Spartans answered back, rattling off eight straight points, as Trinity Cheatom hit two jumpers and four free throws over the final two minutes of the first half to give STAC a 30-25 advantage at halftime.
• Trinity Cheatom paced the Spartans' offense with 11 first-half points, while Paige Emborsky also tallied 11 points for the Wildcats.
• Following the break, Sarah Ericson extended the maroon and gold lead to seven (32-25), but Daemen was not going away and they retook the lead on the strength of a 12-0 run over the next three and a half minutes, 37-32.
• STAC fought back to tie things at 40 all, with Sarah Ericson and Trinity Cheatom putting together an 8-3 streak of their own.
• Once again, the Wildcats offense heated up, scoring seven straight points of their own to lead 47-40 with just under three minutes to play in the third frame.
• A bucket and free throw by Ericson cut it to a four-point game (47-43), but a final jump shot by Daemen pushed the Daemen advantage back to six, at 49-43 through 30 minutes of play.
• Daemen went up by nine (52-43) early in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans continued to battle with Erin Leary keeping the game within reach by draining three straight jumpers to only trail 57-50 with over seven minutes to play in regulation.
• STAC narrowed the lead to five on two occasions down the stretch, courtesy of Angelique Holguin and Trinity Cheatom, but Daemen continued their offensive output, hitting threes and making free throws.
• Trying to preserve time on the clock, STAC was forced to foul in the closing minutes and the Wildcats made the most of their opportunities at the charity stripe to snuff out a Spartans rally and take the nine-point victory.

UP NEXT:

STAC continues its Western New York road trip, facing off with D'Youville University on Sunday, February 19. The Opening tip between the Spartans and Saints is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the College Center Gym in downtown Buffalo.