• The top two ECC seeds have been decided, as St. Thomas Aquinas and Daemen claimed victories on Sunday…
• St. Thomas Aquinas secured the ECC regular season title and the attendant #1 seed in the league tournament with a 79-58 win over Roberts Wesleyan, their eighth straight success. The Spartans shot 52% as a team and forced 23 Redhawk turnovers on the day, leading from pillar-to-post. The home team shot 58% during the first half as they built a 46-25 halftime bulge and kept RWC at bay the rest of the way. Zaria Thomas (16 points; 6-8 FG, 4-6 3FG), Melissa Sadler (14 points), Ruth Adams (11 points) and Emily Preston (10 points, 7 caroms) each played key roles for STAC, which won the ECC regular season crown for the first time since 2011. Tashayla Sutorius (15 points, 7 boards), Taryn Wilson (14 points, 9 rebounds), Emily Miller (13 points) and Taylor Bynoe (10 points, 8 caroms) led the way for RWC, which pulled in more rebounds (42-32) but shot only 35% overall (and 29% in the first half). The Redhawks are tied for fifth place in the league with Bridgeport but only a half-game behind LIU Post for fourth place.
• Daemen earned a nice bounce-back win after their eleven-game winning streak was ended by STAC, getting past the University of the District of Columbia, 70-60, and locking up the #2 ECC spot in the process. Erin Egan’s career-high 21 points (6-8 FG, 2-4 3FG, 7-11 FT) and seven boards led the Wildcats but she had lots of help from Katie Titus (16 points, 9 boards; 6-11 FG, 4-8 3FG), Jordan Heinold (10 points) and Caroline White (10 points). The Wildcats broke open the game in the third period with a decisive 16-0 run led by White (seven points) that gave them a 47-33 edge with 3:32 to go in the quarter. The Firebirds were unable to really find a route back into the contest and suffered its fourth straight loss and is on the brink of playoff extinction despite solid games from Mia-Alexis Lloyd (18 points; 12-12 FT) and Natasha Roy (12 points). Daemen had the upper hand from the floor (48%-35% FG) and off the glass (40-28) and will advance right to the ECC semifinals along with STAC once the playoffs roll around.