Turnovers Cost Women's Basketball in 74-65 Loss at STAC
The Mercy College women's basketball team out-shot and out-rebounded St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday afternoon, but could not out-score the Spartans, and Mercy lost 74-65 in East Coast Conference action. STAC sits atop the ECC with a 10-1 record (14-4 overall), while Mercy drops to 2-9 in the ECC (4-12 overall).
Mercy shot 42.9 percent, with 17 assists on 24 made baskets. Eleven of Mercy's 40 rebounds came on the offensive end. But sloppy play, punctuated by 29 turnovers, doomed the Mavericks.
Mercy scored the game's first points when senior Ashley Borofsky (Southington, Conn./Southington) came up with a steal that led to a jumper by classmate Ann Butehorn (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale). Minutes later, an Aysha Williams (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) basket would make the score 9-6 in favor of STAC. STAC would push the lead to six points before a conventional three-point play by Jasmine Williams (Stratford, Conn./Greens Farms Academy) would bring the lead to two at 13-11 with 11:48 to play.
Mercy managed to tie the score at 18 points apiece, 
as Borofsky hit a three-pointer at the 8:53 mark. The score remained close until a nine point spurt for the hosts put STAC back on top. The Spartans would hold a 41-34 lead at the intermission.
In the second half, STAC started strong, and built an eleven point lead just 88 seconds in. With STAC holding a 53-43 lead at the 16:03 mark, the Mavericks made another run. Jasmine Williams had seven points and a pair of blocks in a four minute stretch, and suddenly the lead was down to one, at 55-54. The teams traded baskets until Mercy finally took the lead, 62-61, on a Simone Williams (Waldorf, Md./Waldorf) jumper with 7:48 to play.
STAC responded with an 8-1 run, and seized control of the game for good. Mercy would get close again, knocking the lead down to just four with 1:02 to play, but it was not enough.
For the day, Jasmine Williams led all scorers with 22 points while grabbing six rebounds. Borofsky chimed in with 12 points, four rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Butehorn had four of the team's nine blocked shots.
For STAC, Bianca Kowgios had 21 points while Brianna Sloper has 20. Each had seven rebounds.
Mercy returns to action on Wednesday, January 26, at Molloy.
