• A key game with ECC leadership on the line highlights the Friday report…
• St. Thomas Aquinas put a marker down as the ECC’s elite outfit, thrashing Daemen in Sparkill, 65-41, to get within touching distance of the regular season crown. The Spartans led all the way and prevailed in all four periods, emphatically ending the Wildcats eleven-game win streak. Julia Winnik (16 points; 4-8 3FG), Emily Preston (14 points, 6 boards, 5 assists), Kellyann Averill (11 points) and Zaria Thomas (10 points) all filled the stat sheet for STAC, which had the upper hand in shooting totals (43% FG, 9-19 3FG) while keeping Daemen in check at the other end (35% FG, 3-22 3FG). Jordan Heinold (10 points) was the sole Wildcat to reach double digits and they were subpar with the ball as a team, committing twice as many turnovers (22-11) and digging a 34-16 halftime hole. STAC closed the first half on a 12-2 binge which included four three-pointers (two from Winnik), dominated in points-off-TO’s (26-10) and were never threatened in the second half en route to their seventh straight victory. The Spartans hold a two-game lead top the ECC while Daemen, solidly in second place, is two games ahead of NYIT in the loss column for the other first round bye.
• Roberts Wesleyan did their ECC playoff chances a world of good with a 70-50 win at the University of the District of Columbia. The Redhawks never trailed but held only a 30-23 halftime edge after the Firebirds ended the half on an 11-2 spree. The single digit lead held up through the third period (46-40) but the guests blew the game open at the onset of the fourth period. A 13-0 explosion that featured five different scorers did the damage and by the end of it the Redhawks held a non-refundable 59-40 lead with 6:05 to play. Emily Miller (25 points, 12 boards; 9-15 FG), Dimitra Gkizani (17 points) and Tashalya Sutorius (11 points, 8 helpers) were at the core of the RWC attack while Mia-Alexis Lloyd (13 points) and Maya Thomas (10 points) topped the UDC stat sheet. Roberts Wesleyan was much better from the field (54%-32% FG) and at the line (14-16; UDC 6-11 FT) while also being more efficient from three-point territory (4-6; UDC 6-25 3FG) in earning their third consecutive win. The Redhawks are even with Bridgeport for fourth place in the ECC, a half-game ahead of LIU Post. UDC, meanwhile, has lost three in a row and is a game behind LIU Post in the loss column for the last spot in the post season field.