Boxscore

SPARKILL, N.Y. - Junior forward Irene Hudson led all scorers as she recorded a career-high 24 points to lead the Goldey-Beacom College women's basketball team to a narrow, 66-64 victory on the road at non-conference foe Saint Thomas Aquinas College on Tues. night at Aquinas Hall.

The game, which was delayed by an hour due to traffic the Lightning encountered on the New Jersey Turnpike on the trip up, came down to the final possession. The Spartans, trailing by two, inbounded with eight seconds left in regulation. A smothering Lightning defense forced a Shpresa Liharevic airball from the top of the key, and GBC avenged last year's, 78-75 overtime loss to STAC at the Jones Center to improve to 3-2 on the season. The Spartans, who had won their last two games, fell to 2-3.

The Lightning trailed 51-44 at the 7:43 mark of the second half when one of Hudson's many layups sparked a 10-2 Lightning surge that catapulted GBC to a 54-53 lead. Along the way, junior guard/forward Devonne Richardson had a huge momentum-changing play when she stole the ball from Kim Vareles and went coast-to-coast for an and-one layup, after which she converted the free-throw for the three-point play. Also during the run, freshman guard Monica Burch knocked down a pivotal three-point shot that closed the gap to one.

Following a Briana Sloper layup at the 5:29 mark, Hudson made a pair of free-throws to put GBC on top to stay. Two layups by junior forward Akilah Sewell helped the Lightning push their lead to four before Sylvia Davis hit a trey to pull the Spartans within one, 60-59 with 1:57 showing on the clock. Once again, Burch came through, this time slashing into the lane and converting a layup off of a Hudson assist to up the Lightning lead to three. The freshman guard would shoot 3-of-4 at the free-throw line down the stretch, which proved just enough to ice a GBC two-point win.

The first half featured a back-and-forth battle early on, with both teams at one point claiming five-point leads after short scoring bursts. The Lightning used a 5-0 spurt to go up 13-8, but later endured an 8-2 Spartan surge that helpd STAC claim a 25-20 advantage with 4:18 left before halftime. GBC scored eight of the final 13 points of the frame, including the last two, and went in the intermission down two, 30-28. This was the first time the Lightning had trailed at halftime all season.

A jump-shot by  redshirt-junior guard Ashley Rosario at the 15:30 mark of the second half gave the Lightning their first lead of the second half, 34-33. Two Sewell layups, the second of which assisted by redshirt-freshman Taylor Leonard, put GBC in front 38-35. The Lightning continued to lead by three, 40-37 when the Spartans marched on an 11-2 run to take the largest lead held by either team all night, 49-42. But after both teams traded baskets, the Lightning went on its 10-2 run and ultimately prevailed with the two-point win.

Hudson was the most dominant player on the floor, shooting 8-for-13 from the field and 8-of-12 from the foul line to record her game-high 24 points. She also pulled in a game-high 11 rebounds and dished out three assists. Sewell scored all nine of her points in the second half to lead the Lightning in crunch time while also pitching in nine rebounds. Burch scored eight of her nine in the second half and finished the night 4-of-6 at the charity stripe. Richardson (six rebounds, four assists, two steals) and Rosario each finished with eight points as well.

The Spartans were led by Bianca Kowgios and Brianna Sloper, who scored 14 points apiece for STAC. Davis was the third Spartan in double-figures with 12, and she also handed out a game-high nine assists.

Goldey-Beacom shot slightly better from the field (43-percent to 39-percent) and the foul line (68-percent to 60-percent). The Lightning cashed in on 21 Spartan fouls by converting 17 free-throws to STAC's six. GBC also outscored STAC 28-20 in the paint.

The Lightning finally return to the Jones Center as they host Kutztown University on Sat. afternoon at 2 p.m.