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LATROBE (Jan. 19) - Junior forward Ariel Rocco posted her first-career double-double and 13 different Bearcats scored as the Saint Vincent women's basketball team rolled to an 87-55 victory over Chatham in Presidents' Athletic Conference play.

With the win, the Bearcats improve to 12-5 overall and 8-2 in the PAC this season. The Bearcats win, coupled with Washington & Jefferson's loss at Westminster leaves SVC alone in second place in the conference. Chatham drops to 2-15 and 1-9 in the league.

After Chatham scored the opening points of the game, SVC out-scored the Cougars, 25-4, over the next eight minutes to take a 25-6 lead at the 11:00 mark. During the run, 10 points came in a 1:21 span and included three layups by senior forward Devin McGrath and a layup each by junior forward Taylor Mathers and sophomore guard Ally Schmidt.

Chatham out-scored the Bearcats, 16-15, over the final 11 minutes of the first half, cutting the lead to 12 points on three separate occasions, but SVC used a 6-0 run over the final 2:01 of the half to take a 40-22 lead into the locker room. All six points came on jump shots, two by McGrath, and one by Rocco.

An 8-1 run to start the second half put SVC ahead, 48-23, with just under 17 minutes remaining, as all of the points came from SVC's three seniors, including four points by forward Jordan Clinton.

The Cougars would get as close as 21 points in the second half, with SVC building the lead as high as 35 points on two separate occasions, including on a pair of free throws by freshman guard Drew Meeker before a last-second heave from almost mid-court by Chatham's Anna Shashura made the final margin 32 points, 87-55.

SVC shot an impressive 51.5 percent (34-of-66) from the field for the game. The Bearcats held a 12-rebound advantage, 42-30, and forced Chatham into 22 turnovers compared to 10. Saint Vincent also recorded an assist on 70.5 percent (24-of-34) of its made field goals.

McGrath led all players with 16 points while adding six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in just 21 minutes. Mathers contributed 13 points (including 7-of-10 at the free-throw line) and six rebounds off the bench, with Rocco posting her double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds in only 21 minutes. Schmidt also finished with 10 points, all of which came in the first half.

The Bearcats return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 23, hosting W&J at 5:30 p.m. in the Carey Center. SVC currently holds a one-game lead over the Presidents for second place in the league. W&J rallied for a 64-59 win in Washington during the first meeting between the two teams this season.