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The seventh-ranked Thomas More Saints used a 15-0 run to start the second half to pull away from the Saint Vincent Bearcats en route to a 75-52 win in the Carey Center.

Melissa Mansur gave SVC an early 2-0 lead, but Allison Long hit a pair of threes in the opening minutes as the Saints built a 9-6 advantage.  After four points from Jordan Clinton helped keep the Bearcats close, Long hit another trey to make it a 15-10 lead for the visitors.

Saint Vincent stormed back with scores from Mansur, Clinton and Devin McGrath to take a 16-15 lead at the 14:10 mark, but TMC's Sydni Wainscott then hit a three pointer to return the lead to the visitors' side (18-16) with 13:40 to go.

Both teams then locked into a defensive battle, as neither team hit a field goal for nearly four minutes, when a Devin Beasley trey made it 21-17 in favor of the Saints.  After Elle Collins hit a jumper for the Bearcats, Wainscott landed her second three of the half, helping Thomas More to once again build their lead to five, 25-20.

Yet again, SVC fought back, scoring the game's next six points on a fast break by Mansur, a conventional three-point play from McGrath, and a free throw from Taylor Mathers, taking a 26-25 lead with 2:35 left in the half.

However, with the game tied at 28-28 with 1:25 to go, Wainscott hit her third trey, giving the Saints a lead they would continue to hold until the halftime buzzer (33-30). 

Six straight points from Katie Kitchen opened the second half, and five points from Allison Long ended the run five minutes later with the Saints in front 48-30, and the Bearcats never recovered.

Saint Vincent shot just 20% in the second half and hit only one three-pointer in the game as the Saints completed the regular season with an 18-0 conference record.  Saint Vincent fell to 15-3, and will enter the playoffs on Tuesday as the second seed, behind Thomas More.

Long and McGrath, two top contenders for Presidents' Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors, ended the game tied for top scoring honors with 18 points each.  McGrath added a game-high 8 rebounds, to go along with six assists and four steals.

For SVC, Mansur added 11 points and six boards, while Jordan Clinton had 9 points and six boards.

Thomas More's Kitchen had 17 points, while Wainscott added 12.  Devin Beasley had 9 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds off the bench. 

Saint Vincent finishes the regular season with a record of 19-6 overall, while Thomas More finishes at 24-1.  SVC will host a first round playoff game in the Carey Center on Tuesday evening at 6PM, opponent to be announced.