PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Jan. 27) – Despite a strong shooting night, the Saint Vincent women's basketball team dropped a 76-74 decision at Chatham University.

Saint Vincent committed 24 turnovers and Chatham used a 26-12 edge in points off of turnovers to pull out the victory.

Junior guard Susie Ellis led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Mara Benvenuti chipped in 18 points and 5 assists while junior guard Hannah Carroll tacked on 12 points.

Chatham raced out to a 7-0 start over the first two-plus minutes of the contest, Carroll buried a three-pointer to get SVC on the board at the 7:38 mark of the first quarter.

After a Chatham basket, SVC rattled off five straight points, closing the deficit to 9-8 with 4:04 to play in the first. Freshman Maria Morgan connected on a pair of free throws before Ellis converted a three-point play the old fashioned way.

The Cougars pushed the lead back to five points (15-10) before freshman Lucy Bujdos made back-to-back baskets, bringing the score back to a single point at 15-14.

Four straight points made it 19-14 Chatham before Ellis and Benvenuti each made field goals to close the first quarter score at 19-18 in favor of the host Cougars.

Chatham scored the first six points in the second quarter, taking a 25-18 lead at the 8:15 mark of the second quarter. Later in the quarter, Kiara Arnold and Carroll sunk three-pointers to bring SVC back within two at 27-25.

SVC faced its largest deficit of the first half when a Chatham three-pointer made it 35-27 at the 2:41 mark. Chaslyn Derexson drained a long two-point jumper to put the halftime score at 35-29.

The Bearcats shot 45.5 percent from the field in the first half and 42.9 percent from three-point range but committed 16 turnovers. Chatham outscored SVC 17-3 in points off turnovers over the first 20 minutes.

Chatham came out firing in the third quarter, draining 3-of-3 on three-point field goals over the first 1:38 of the quarter. The 9-2 run gave the Cougars a 44-31 edge.

SVC showed some resiliency, answering with a 10 straight points. The run included five points from Babette Sanmartin and a trey from Ellis, making the score 44-41 with 6:27 to play in the third quarter.
The Bearcats continued to fight back as Ellis and Benvenuti combined for five straight points, pulling SVC even at 50-50 with 1:54 to play in the third quarter.

The two teams exchanged points for the remainder of the quarter, with SVC taking a 57-55 lead on a three-pointer by Carroll. Chatham answered with a basket to tie the contest at 57-57 after three quarters.
Ellis drained a three-pointer to give SVC a 62-61 advantage with 8:10 to play in the fourth quarter. Chatham responded with a 8-0 run to take a 69-62 lead.

SVC would not go quietly, answering back with an 8-2 run to bring the deficit to just one (71-70). Benvenuti scored five points while Derexson also converted a basket during the run.

A layup by Ellis brought SVC to within one again at 73-72 but Rachel McClain knocked down a three-pointer from straight on to make it 76-72.

Benvenuti would answer back with a layup, making the score 76-74. After the Bearcats got a defensive stop they had one shot to tie or win it at the other end but the layup attempt came up short.

SVC shot 47.1 percent from the field, including 46.7 percent on three-pointers. The Bearcats also held a 38-27 edge in rebounding.

McClain was one of four Cougars in double figures, scoring a team-best 19 points and surpassing 1,000 points for her career.

The victory improved Chatham to 4-7 in the league and 8-10 overall. Meanwhile, SVC dropped to 8-10 overall and 3-8 in league action.  

The Bearcats return to action at the Carey Center on Saturday, Jan. 30 against Geneva College (9-9, 6-5 PAC). Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.