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WASHINGTON, Pa. (Jan. 13) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team saw its upset bid fall short, dropping a 68-63 decision at Washington and Jefferson in Presidents' Athletic Conference action.

Hannah Carroll led SVC with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Mara Benvenuti put together another all-around night, totaling 14 points, while adding 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Jasmine Weems added 12 points, while Susie Ellis chipped in 11 points.

A three-pointer gave Washington and Jefferson the first points of the contest but SVC responded back when Babette Sanmartin made a layup, cutting the Presidents lead to 3-2. The Presidents added a three-point play and two more free throws to push the lead to 8-2.

Weems hit a jumper just inside the free throw line and Carroll then added a three-pointer from straight on to pull the Bearcats to within a single point (8-7) with just around five minutes left in the first quarter.

W&J gained separation to finish out the first quarter, using a 9-4 run to take a 17-11 lead after 10 minutes of play. Carroll knocked down her second three-pointer in the early stages of the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 17-14.

After the Bearcats brought it to a one possession game, the Presidents responded back with 9-0 run to take their first double digit lead of the game at 26-14.

Weems then rattled off the next eight points of the game, including two three-pointers, trimming the deficit to 26-22.

W&J used two separate three-point plays to bring the lead back up to eight (32-24) before Ellis drained a three-pointer to close the first half scoring.

Weems led SVC in the first half with 10 points, while Carroll added six points and six rebounds in the opening half.

After W&J opened the second half with four straight points, Ellis answered with another three-point field goal, making the deficit 36-30.

Later on Benvenuti connected on a three-pointer and then made two free throws to make it 44-40 at the 4:44 mark of the third quarter. The teams exchanged three-point plays before Maria Morgan would bury a three-pointer, bringing SVC within a single point at 47-46.

Trailing 52-50 with 1:01 to play in the third quarter, SVC had a chance to tie the contest with a layup rattled out. The Presidents added a layup to take a 54-50 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

W&J would then start the fourth on a 6-0 run before Benvenuti made a running jumper off the fast break. The Benvenuti basket ended a three-plus minute scoreless streak for SVC.
Ellis then added a three-pointer and Benvenuti drained a jumper, bringing the W&J lead down to 60-57 with 6:20 to play.

Both teams would struggle over the next five minutes of play, as W&J outscored SVC 5-1 during that time. Ellis finally ended the Bearcats' field goal drought, converting a layup with 1:00 remaining, bringing the deficit to 65-60.

After a W&J split a pair of free throws, Carroll drained another trey with 43 seconds to play, bringing the game back to a single possession. The Bearcats would force a turnover and have a chance to tie by the three-point attempt came up short.

W&J converted free throws with 6.5 seconds left to put away the game. Both teams performed pretty evenly overall. W&J slightly outshot SVC 37.5 to 37.1 from the field. SVC converted 12 of 30 three-point attempts, good for 40 percent. The teams were even in rebounds, as both pulled down 39.

The loss dropped the Bearcats to 7-7 overall and 2-5 in the PAC. The Presidents improved to 11-3 overall and 6-1 in conference play.

The Bearcats are back in action when they top ranked and defending national champion Thomas More on Saturday, Jan. 16. Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m.