Molloy Tops Lady Spartans, 75-69
The St. Thomas Aquinas women's basketball team dropped a tough game to Molloy College, 75-69. Junior Colleen Vogel scored a game high twenty-one points including 10-10 from the foul line. Freshmen Natalie Catavero and Briana Sloper scored twelve and eleven points respectively. Fellow rookie Kim Vareles pulled down a team high eight rebounds.
Vareles hit a jumper at the 16:02 mark to top off the Lady Spartans 13-6 run to open the game. Kaitlin Page hit a three to extend the lead to nine giving STAC what ended up their largest lead of the game. The Lions answered with a 14-4 run as Kymira Woodbury scored a layup with 9:23 giving Molloy College a 21-20 lead. Woodbury finished with seventeen points and eleven rebounds. The Lady Spartans would not go away quietly as Whitney Dugan hit a jumper to tie the game at 31. Dugan followed with a traditional three point play in the next possession. Dugan finished with five points and six rebounds. STAC went ahead eight, 41-33 on a three pointer by Natalie Catavero with 2:51 to go in the first half. Catavero shot 4-6 from behind the arc. The Lions closed out the half with a 9-2 run to bring them within one, 43-42, at the break.
Both teams exchanged baskets in the early minutes of the second half. Tatiana Lopez hit a three to tie the game at the 17:16 mark. Lopez finished with a team high nineteen points. Vogel hit a three with 9:28 remaining in the game followed by two free throws by Vareles to pull STAC within one, 58-57. Sloper hit a jumper in the paint with 3:11 to go to keep STAC within one, 65-64. Molloy went on a 4-0 run to extend their lead back to five with less then a minute left in the game. Molloy went 6-8 from the free throw line in the final minute to earn the win.
Despite the loss the Lady Spartans advance to the ECC playoffs where they will face Queens College. The quarterfinal game will be played on Wednesday at 5:00 at Queens. Today's game represented the Lady Spartans senior day which the honored their three seniors; Caire Wilson, Raven Brinkley and Jessica Buono. Unfortunately none of the seniors were able to participate in today's game.
