ALBANY, N.Y.-The College of Saint Rose was within earshot following the first period and halftime, but 19th ranked Saint Thomas Aquinas outscored the Golden Knights 16-1 throughout a 2:48 stretch surrounding intermission on the way to today's 72-55 non-league win at the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium.
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The Spartans (9-0) turned 19 Golden Knights miscues into 26 points and got 37 points from its bench to remain unbeaten.
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Junior forward
Karissa Birthwright led Saint Rose (5-4) with 15 points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward
Leah Dollard went 6-for-7 from the floor to finish with 13 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Junior guard
Isa Vara de Rey added 12 points, while sophomore guard
Takora McIntyre dished out a career-best nine assists.
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Saint Thomas Aquinas senior guard Jenna Erickson paced four twin-figure scorers with 16 points and nine assists, while freshman forward Emily Preston registered a "double-double" behind 15 points and 10 boards.
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The Golden Knights knocked down five of their first six shots and opened the second period with a 10-3 spurt to take a 27-25 lead with 5:49 left before halftime. However, the Spartans responded by closing the half with a 13-4 jaunt that afforded them a 38-31 advantage at the break. They then scored the first nine points of the second half to boost their cushion to 16. Saint Rose never got closer than 12 from that point forward.
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Looking ahead, the Golden Knights will host their own Holiday Tournament next weekend. They will meet Dominican on Saturday at 1:00 pm, and will face University of the Sciences on Sunday at 2:00 pm. Meanwhile, the Spartans visit East Coast Conference rival Molloy next Saturday at 12:00 pm on Long Island.
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