Women's Basketball Battles Buts Falls At Home By Three To ECC Leader St. Thomas Aquinas, 72-69

Bridgeport, Conn. - The University of Bridgeport women's basketball team lost a tough ECC contest against the conference-leading St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans, 72-69, Saturday afternoon in Hubbell Gymnasium.  With the loss, UB has an overall record of 8-13 and is 4-7 in conference play.  STAC moves to 19-3 on the season and 10-1 in the ECC.   Saturday's affair was a see-saw contest seeing five ties and seven lead changes.

STAC held a four-point, 47-43, lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter before going on a surge that gave them a 57-46 lead with 8:01 to play in the game.

UB would not go quietly, as the hosts battled back to pull within one point, 70-69, with 22 seconds to play, but the visitors hit a couple of free throws and forced a Purple Knights' turnover with four seconds to play to hold on for the win.

Junior guard Briana Stoddart (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led Bridgeport with season-high and career-best tying 23 points and eight rebounds.  Stoddard was 5-for-7 behind the three-point arc on the afternoon.  Coming off the bench for UB, freshman Gianna Gotti (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) contributed 10 second half points and four rebounds.  

Ruth Adams led STAC with an impressive double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds.

The UB women's basketball team will look to get back in the win column when they travel to Mercy College on Wednesday night.  Tip time is set for 5:00 p.m. in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.