BOX SCORE

LATROBE (Dec. 1) - Saint Vincent closed the first half on a 33-6 run over the final 11:28 to hold a 40-14 halftime lead before cruising to a 77-44 win over Westminster in Presidents' Athletic Conference action in the Carey Center home opener.

With the win, the Bearcats improve to 4-2 on the season and stay unblemished at 2-0 in PAC play. SVC is now 1-0 at home, and it was the only game in the first 12 SVC will play at the Carey Center. Westminster drops to 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the league.

A three-point play by junior Taylor Mathers gave SVC the lead, 7-6, just under the 14-minute mark, and then a jumper by Westminster's Katie Hughes at 11:47 put SVC down 1 before it reeled off a 14-0 run that lasted five minutes.



A three-pointer by sophomore Jessica Hentrel gave SVC the lead which it would not relinquish, 10-8, before sophomore Jessica Welch hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the lead to 16-8 with 9:58 to play in the first period.

A triple by Westminster's Jenn Cantella stopped the run, but SVC then embarked on a 16-0 run that lasted just over four minutes. During the run, senior guard Melissa Mansur and junior forward Ariel Rocco each scored four points. In the final 1:57 of the second half, sophomore guard Kelley Sedlock hit a pair of three-pointers to send SVC into the break with a 40-14 lead.

In the second half, SVC kept going, including a 15-4 run that was started by a Devin McGrath layup and capped off by three-straight Melissa Mansur free throws. The Bearcats eventually cruised to the 77-44 win.

Mathers led four players in double-figures with 14 points and added eight rebounds. Sophomore Ally Schmidt finished with 12 points, five assists, three boards and two steals, while Mansur chipped in 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. McGrath finished with 10 points and six rebounds in just 18 minutes. Rocco had with a game-high nine rebounds and Welch added a game-best six steals.

SVC held Westminster to just 30.8 percent (16-of-52) from the field, including just 20.0 percent (4-of-20) in the first half. Meanwhile, the Bearcats finished 48.3 percent (28-of-58) from the floor, including 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from beyond-the-arc.

Saint Vincent also held a substantial 43-28 advantage on rebounds, and assisted on an impressive 23-of-28 field goals.

The Bearcats will return to PAC action on Wednesday, Dec. 5, traveling to Washington, Pa., for an 8 p.m. match-up at Washington & Jefferson.