Sparkill, N.Y. - Despite a solid team effort to close out the home schedule for calendar year 2024, the St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 56-55 decision to Jefferson University on Saturday afternoon at Aquinas Hall.

STAC slips to 3-9 on the season, while Jefferson improves to 7-4.

Syrita Faraj posted a team-high 18 points for the maroon and gold, while teammate Trinity Cheatom (14 points) also scored in double figures. Emily Spratt led all scorers with 22 points for the visiting Rams.

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 34.5 percent from the field (19-55), while Jefferson shot 35.9 percent (23-64) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest.
• Trinity Cheatom led the maroon and gold with five assists on the afternoon.
• Syrita Faraj hit 6 of her 18 field goal attempts and all five of her free throw attempts, with Cheatom going 4-for-11 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the foul line.
• Jefferson out-rebounded STAC by 44-36 margin, with Syrita Faraj also grabbing a game-high 14 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up six steals, with the Rams turning the ball over on 17 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in two team statistical categories over Jefferson: Points Off Turnovers (9-8) and Bench Points (9-0).
• STAC had its largest lead of the game (6 points) with just under four minutes to play in the final quarter, 53-47, on a Trinity Cheatom free throw.
• The game featured seven ties and four lead changes.
• St. Thomas Aquinas trailed Jefferson 28-25 at the half and shot 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from the field.
• Syrita Faraj led all Spartans scorers with seven first half points.

JEFFERSON NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Six Rams logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Emily Spratt led Jefferson with 22 points, as teammates Cassie Murphy (16 points) and Emma Kuczynski (10 points) also scored in double figures.
• Tori Nigro, Kuczynski and Murphy led Jefferson with three assists apiece on the day.
• Emily Spratt went 10-for-20 from the floor, with Cassie Murphy hitting 7 of her 14 field goal attempts.
• Murphy also grabbed a team-high 12 boards for the Rams.
• Jefferson picked up nine steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 17 separate occasions.
• The Rams earned advantages in two team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Second Chance Points (12-10) and Points in the Paint (32-26).
• Jefferson had its largest lead of the game (10 points) in the opening seconds of the second quarter, 19-9, on an Emily Spratt jumper.
• Emma Kuczynski and Emily Spratt led all scorers at the half with 10 points apiece for the Rams.
• Jefferson's best shooting quarter came in the opening stanza, with the Rams shooting 44.4 percent (8-18) from the field.

UP NEXT:

STAC will take a short break for the winter holidays, before returning to action on Tuesday, December 31 at Post University. The non-conference bout between the Spartans and Eagles gets underway at 12:00 p.m. inside of the Drubner Center in Waterbury, Connecticut.