PHOTO GALLERYGROVE CITY, Pa. (Jan. 9) –
Mara Benvenuti scored 21 points but the Saint Vincent women's basketball team dropped a 74-66 decision to the Grove City Wolverines at the College Arena in Mercer County.
Grove City used a very efficient offensive effort to capture its first win over the Bearcats since Jan. 19, 2008. The Wolverines shot 57.4 from the field and 57.1 percent from three-point range in the contest.
After struggling Wednesday night, the Bearcats got off to a fast start offensively, as SVC raced out to an 8-1 lead. The early run included a layup by
Babette Sanmartin, a three-point play by Benvenuti and a traditional three-pointer by
Susie Ellis.
However, Saint Vincent went cold and Grove City fought back with 15 straight points, taking a 16-8 lead at the 2:39 mark of the first quarter.
Saint Vincent showed some resiliency, cutting the deficit back with a three-pointer each from Benvenuti and
Jasmine Weems. A layup by
Katie Ryan and free throw by Weems brought the Bearcats within one (18-17) late in the opening quarter. Grove City added a pair of free throws, making it 20-17 Wolverines after 10 minutes.
Lauren Donley made a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 22-20 early in the second quarter. After a string of four offensive rebounds on the same possession, Ellis knocked down a three, making it 26-23 with 5:45 to play in the half.
From there, Grove City worked on padding its lead, using a 13-11 run the rest of the half for a 39-34 halftime edge.
Hannah Carroll capped the first half scoring with a three-pointer of her own.
Grove City shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from the field in the first half, while SVC managed just a 38.7 percent clip over the first 20 minutes. Three-point shooting helped the Bearcats hang in the game, as they converted 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from behind the arc.
SVC started the third quarter on a 9-2 run, tying the game at 43-43 with 5:18 to go in the third. Benvenuti played a key part of the run, scoring four points, including the tying free throws.
After GCC made a layup, Carroll knocked down a three-pointer to give SVC a 46-45 lead at the 4:32 mark. That was the first lead for the Bearcats since it was 8-6 in the first quarter.
The Wolverines knocked down a three to briefly regain the lead before Carroll and Benvenuti each knocked down a pair at the line, helping SVC move in front with a 50-48 advantage.
Grove City would then score the next five points, pulling ahead 53-50 with 35 seconds remaining in the third. SVC would use a long jumper by Carroll to put the score at 53-52 Grove City at the end of the quarter.
The teams went through a back and forth fourth quarter until about midway through the final period. After Benvenuti made two free throws to cut the deficit to 63-62 at the 4:35 mark, Grove City used a 9-0 run to take a double digit lead (72-62). Saint Vincent couldn't recover and dropped its second straight game.
The Bearcats' offense fell short of matching the Wolverines, as SVC shot just 32.8 percent from the field, including just 3 of 16 from three in the second half.
Carroll and Ellis joined Benvenuti with 13 points and 11 points, respectively. Ryan led the Bearcats off the bench with five rebounds. Weems had a team-best six assists, while Carroll had a team-high four steals.
Kathryn Erbelding led Grove City with a double-double effort, posting game-highs in points (24) and rebounds (11).
SVC falls to 7-6 overall and 2-4 in the PAC. GCC improves to 5-8 on the season overall and 3-3 in the league.
The Bearcats return to action with their third straight road contest, traveling to Washington and Jefferson on Wednesday, Jan. 13. Tip-off with the Presidents is slated for 8 p.m.
