Saint Vincent College

PHOTO GALLERY

by Brian Niemiec, Sports Information Student Assistant

Mara Benvenuti scored a career-high 27 points to lead Saint Vincent to its first conference win of the season, defeating Chatham by a score of 79-59 in the Carey Center.

The Bearcats got the scoring started at the 8:57 mark of the first quarter with a layup from junior guard Susie Ellis. Chatham pulled even with a pair of free throws with 8:37 remaining and from there the teams traded blows until it was 7-7.  A Benvenuti score at the 4:30 mark started a 10-point Bearcat run which was capped off with an Ellis layup with 1:47 left after an offensive rebound to put them up 17-7. Chatham went on a run that spanned two quarters and was fueled by three pointers to end and begin the quarters to trim the Saint Vincent lead to two points (19-17).
 
The Bearcats extended their lead with an 11-4 run sparked by a Hannah Carroll layup just under two minutes into the quarter. The run included a three pointer from Benvenuti and a fast break layup generated by a Lucy Bujdos steal. The run put the Bearcats up 11, (30-19).  The teams traded baskets back and forth for the rest of the quarter and the Bearcats went to the locker room with a 6-point lead (34-28).
 
The teams traded three pointers to open up the half before Saint Vincent turned up the defensive pressure and went on a 22-3 run to finish the quarter. This run included six points by both Ellis and Jasmine Weems and three pointers by Benvenuti and Weems. Saint Vincent entered the final quarter with a commanding 25-point lead (61-36).
 
Chatham came out in the fourth firing and closed the deficit to 15, but could never draw the game closer. The Bearcats rode the hot hand of Benvenuti, who scored 12 in the final quarter, to an eventual 79-59 win over the Cougars.
 
The Bearcats had three scorers in double figures, in addition to Benvenuti, SVC got 19 from Ellis and 13 from Weems. Ellis was the game's leading rebounder, tallying a career high 9 boards.

Rachel McClain had 16 points and Nikki Ingel contributed 11 points and 5 rebounds to lead the Cougars effort. 

With the win, Saint Vincent is now 4-4 overall, 1-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference,  Chatham drops to 4-3, 1-2 PAC.

The Bearcats are back in action on December 29, as they travel to Las Vegas for the d3hoops.com Classic at the South Point Hotel and Casino.  SVC will face Carthage College at 3PM Eastern.