Sparkill, N.Y. – The Molloy women's basketball team fell to the Spartans of Saint Thomas Aquinas College, 59-43, inside Aquinas Hall Saturday afternoon. The Lions move to 3-15 overall and 2-7 in East Coast Conference play, while the Spartans improve to 14-5 overall and 6-2 in league play.
 
How it Happened

• A layup from sophomore Samantha Muller and a pair of three-point shots from graduate student Gianni Domond and Freshman Rosa Rizzitelli had the Lions ahead, 8-2, 6:27 into the contest.
• An 8-3 run from the Spartans cut Molloy's lead to one, 11-10, with under a minute to play in the first quarter.
• Rizzitelli nailed a jump shot as time expired in the opening stanza, giving the road team a 15-12 advantage heading into the second quarter.
• STAC exploded in the second quarter, opening the stanza with a 21-2 rally to take a commanding 33-17 lead with 2:33 to play in the first half.
• The cardinal and white concluded the second with an 8-2 run highlighted by freshman Sophia Yearwood, who totaled five points. Molloy trailed, 35-25, going into halftime.
• The game turned into a defensive battle in the third quarter, as both teams limited each other's chances. Molloy outscored STAC 8-7 in the stanza but trailed, 42-33, heading into the fourth quarter.
• The home team opened the final stanza on a 9-2 run to extend the lead to 51-36 with 6:02 to play.
• A three-point basket from freshman Brianna James and a layup from junior Trinity Hudson cut the Lions deficit to 10, 51-41, but that was as close as the Lions would come as the Spartans would shoot 58 percent from the floor to solidify the victory, 59-43. 

Top Performances

• Muller scored a team-high eight points while grabbing 10 rebounds.
• Domond and James tallied seven points apiece.
• Hudson scored six points and brought down a game-high 12 rebounds, marking the fifth consecutive game of 10+ rebounds.

Up Next
Molloy returns home Friday, January 27 to host Daemen. Tip-off is slated for 5:00 p.m.