STATEN ISLAND, NY – The College of Staten Island women's basketball team continued East Coast Conference (ECC) play Saturday afternoon in Sparkill, NY, taking on the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans. CSI held a one-point lead at halftime, but after a low-scoring third quarter on both ends, the Spartans pulled away for a 62–58 victory, handing the Dolphins their second ECC loss of the season.

Dana Phelan and Shonyae Edmonds sparked the Dolphins' offense early. Although STAC opened up a 16–8 advantage, consecutive scoring plays by Edmonds, Arielle Barnes, Giuliana Dito, and Kyra Rose brought CSI even in the closing seconds of the first quarter. A buzzer-beating Spartan basket, however, put the home team ahead 19–16 after one.

The Dolphins controlled the second quarter, outscoring STAC 19–15. Phelan went a perfect 3-3 from the line and later added a layup to give CSI a 23–21 lead and Barnes extended the margin to six after converting four straight free throws. Both teams then went cold for more than two minutes until Rose broke the drought with a basket that pushed the lead to 29–21. STAC mounted a late push, but CSI maintained its edge with timely jumpers from Edmonds and Phelan to take a 35–34 lead into halftime.

The third quarter proved pivotal, as the Dolphins managed just four points to the Spartans' nine and low-output frame left CSI trailing 43–39 heading into the fourth.

In the final stanza, CSI repeatedly cut the deficit to two, and Rose eventually tied the game at 51–51 with a driving layup. However, STAC responded with back-to-back three-pointers and ultimately sealed the 62–58 win.

Phelan led all scorers with 16 points, while Edmonds recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Barnes added 11 points, going 9-for-12 from the free-throw line, and grabbed nine rebounds. Rose also contributed 11 points and seven boards.

The College of Staten Island (2–6, 0–2 ECC) will return to non-conference action on December 10 in Garden City, NY, when they face Adelphi University at 5:30 p.m.