UDC Women’s Basketball Defeated by St. Thomas Aquinas College, 78-62
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Thomas Aquinas (9-3, 5-1 ECC) | 23 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 78 |
|
Dist. Columbia (2-11, 1-3 ECC) | 17 | 10 | 13 | 22 | 62 |
WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team was defeated by East Coast Conference foe St. Thomas Aquinas College, 78-62 on Saturday afternoon at the UDC Sports Complex.
The Firebirds (2-11, 1-3 ECC) were led offensively by freshman guard NyAsia Anderson with 19 points and senior guard Shantrel Oliver with 14 points. The Spartans (9-3, 5-1 ECC) featured three double-figure scorers, including a game-high 24 points by guard Jenna Erickson. The junior guard shot 9-of-14 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range as she closed to within one point of 1,000 for her career at STAC. Forward Adiya Henderson added 15 points and game-highs of eight rebounds and seven blocked shots, and reserve guard Chelsea Murphy came off the bench to score 14 points on 5-of-7 FG shooting (3-of-5 from long range).
St. Thomas Aquinas out-shot the Firebirds 60-percent (31-of-52) to 38-percent (20-of-53) from the field and 48-percent (10-of-21) to 35-percent (6-of-17) from long range. The Spartans also more than doubled-up the Firebirds in assisted baskets (20-9) and out-scored UDC 34-20 in the paint.
Anderson scored five consecutive points to help UDC grab an early 7-2 lead, but the Spartans answered with a 16-4 surge over the next six minutes to pull in front, 18-11. STAC would lead 23-17 at the end of the first quarter.
Erickson would knock down three of her five three-pointers in the first five minutes of the 2nd quarter as the Spartans out-scored UDC 12-3 in that span and took a commanding, 35-20 lead. STAC's lead was 13 going into halftime following a three-pointer by Oliver right before the horn.
Still just a 12-point UDC deficit (46-34) three minutes into the 3rd quarter, St. Thomas Aquinas put the game out of reach with a 13-2 run to extend its lead to 59-36 with two minutes remaining. The Spartans would take a 62-40 advantage heading into the 4th quarter.
STAC's Murphy knocked down a three-pointer less than a minute into the final quarter to give the Spartans their largest lead of the afternoon, 65-40. St. Thomas Aquinas went on to cruise to a 16-point victory, 78-62.
The Firebirds will return to action on December 30th when they visit non-conference regional foe University of the Sciences.
