BOX SCORE

PHOTO GALLERY

LATROBE (Jan. 23) - Senior forward Devin McGrath recorded her ninth double-double of the season to lead four Bearcats in double figures as the Saint Vincent women's basketball team out-lasted Washington & Jefferson in Presidents' Athletic Conference play.

The Bearcats improve to 13-5 on the season after their third-straight win, while also bolstering their hold on second place in the conference with a 9-2 mark. W&J drops to 12-6 this year and 7-4 on the season following its second-consecutive loss.

The Presidents started the game with four points from Chelsea Apke before SVC rallied with a 10-0 run that forced a W&J timeout at 13:56. Sophomore guard Ally Schmidt and junior forward Ariel Rocco combined four eight points over the spurt.

During a six-minute span, Rocco scored 10 points to help the Bearcats push the lead to seven points, 16-9, with 9:32 remaining in the first half. A three-point play by sophomore guard Elle Collins put SVC ahead eight points, 19-11, at the 8:33-mark.

W&J then used a 9-0, thanks to three triples, to retake the lead, 20-19, with 4:54 to play in the period. The two teams exchanged baskets before Saint Vincent used an 8-2 run over the final 1:36, including back-to-back three-pointers by Collins, to take a 29-24 lead into the locker room.

After being held to just four points in the first half, McGrath scored the Bearcats' first eight points of the second half as SVC worked the lead to six points, 37-31, with 16:04 to play. Another triple and a traditional three-point play by W&J tied the game, 37-37, at 15:16.

The game would be tied five times in the second half, and W&J held a one-point lead on a layup by Valerie Dunlap at 6:43, 50-49, but SVC would close the game on a 13-3 run to post the 62-52 win. A jumper by McGrath, assisted by Schmidt, gave the Bearcats the lead for good, 51-50, with 6:16 remaining.

Rocco hit a jumper with 5:30 left to push the lead to three points, before Schmidt knocked down back-to-back jumpers to put the hosts ahead by seven points, 57-50, with 1:46 to go. SVC sealed the game with five free throws (four by McGrath) over the final 54 seconds to preserve the win.

For the game, SVC shot 37.9 percent (25-of-66) from the field while W&J connected on 22-of-53 (41.5 percent) shots and 7-of-17 (41.2 percent) three-pointers. Saint Vincent forced the Presidents into 23 turnovers, compared to just 10, while tying a season-high with eight blocks.

McGrath's 22 points led all players, while her 11 rebounds were tied for the game-high, marking her sixth double-double in the last seven games. The First-Team All-PAC selection from last season also recorded four assists, three steals and three blocks in the win. Rocco, coming off her first-career double-double Saturday against Chatham, posted a career-best 12 points while also adding six boards.

Collins also finished with 12 points, including three trifectas, with Schmidt adding 11 points, six steals and five assists. Freshman guard Ashlee Darby contributed five points and five boards off the bench to round out the Bearcats' scoring.

Apke led W&J with 17 points while she and teammate Valerie Dunlap each recorded 11 rebounds.

Saint Vincent returns to PAC action on Saturday, Jan. 26, traveling to New Wilmington, Pa., for a 2 p.m. match-up with Westminster. The Bearcats posted a 77-44 win in Latrobe the first time the two teams met in December.