Sparkill, N.Y. - Fourth quarter struggles for the St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball resulted in the team's third straight loss, a 71-64 defeat by Molloy University on Wednesday evening at Aquinas Hall Gymnasium.

STAC falls to 4-15 overall and 2-6 in ECC action, while Molloy moves to 6-12 and 4-3.

Toni Schuetze led the maroon and gold offense with a team-high 21 points, while Jona Kabashi (14 points), Bailey Chapman (11 points) and Cassidy Mahaney (10 points) also scored in double digits. Meanwhile, Colleen McCullagh led all Lions players in scoring with 23 points of her own.

STAC shot 35.2 percent (25-71) from the field, while Molloy shot 42.4 percent (25-59) from the floor and 42.1 percent (8-19) from beyond the arc.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest.
• Delaney Finnegan and Toni Schuetze led the maroon and gold with three assists apiece on the evening.
• Toni Schuetze hit 9 of her 25 field goal attempts. Jona Kabashi went 6-for-7 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
• STAC out-rebounded Molloy by a 44-39 margin, with Delaney Finnegan grabbing a team-high 11 boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up six steals, with the Lions turning the ball over on 13 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over Molloy: Points off Turnovers (14-7), Second Chance Points (14-11) and Points in the Paint (34-30).
• St. Thomas Aquinas had its largest lead of the game (six points) with just under six minutes to play in the second quarter, 29-23, on a Cassidy Mahaney three-point jump shot.
• The game featured four ties and two lead changes.
• St. Thomas Aquinas trailed Molloy, 34-32 at the half and shot 35.3 percent (12-34) from the field, 33.3 percent (5-15) from beyond the arc and 75.0 percent (3-4) from the foul line.
• Toni Schuetze and Cassidy Mahaney led all Spartans' scorers with 10 first half points apiece.
• STAC's best shooting quarter came in the opening stanza, with the Spartans shooting 56.3 percent (9-16) from the field and 40.0 percent (2-5) from beyond the arc.
• Despite being tied 53-53 after three quarters of play, the Spartans were outscored 18-11 in the final frame.

MOLLOY NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven Lions logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Colleen McCullagh led the Lions with a game-high 23 points, while teammate Sophia Yearwood (18 points) also scored in double figures.
• Rosa Rizzitelli led Molloy with six assists on the night.
• McCullagh went 8-for-19 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line, as Yearwood went 7-for-14 from the field and 4-of-9 from long distance.
• Sharmeela Ugbogbo grabbed a game-high 18 boards for the Lions.
• Molloy picked up five steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 10 separate occasions.
• The Lions earned one advantage in the team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Bench Points (8-4).
• Molloy had its largest lead of the game (eight points) with just under eight minutes to play in the third quarter, 42-34, on a Grace Trotta layup.
• Colleen McCullagh led all scorers at the half with 14 points for the Lions, while shooting 40.0 percent (4-for-10) from the floor and 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from the free-throw line.
• Molloy's best shooting quarter came in the second stanza, with the Lions shooting 41.7 percent (5-12) from the field, 50.0 percent (1-2) from downtown and 85.7 percent (6-7) from the foul line.

UP NEXT:

STAC looks to get back on track against yet another ECC opponent, Queens College, on Saturday, January 24. Tip-off between the Spartans and Knights is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Fitzgerald Gymnasium.