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WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 10) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team earned a hard fought 68-61 road victory over the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets at the Marisa Fieldhouse.
 
Both teams started off well offensively in a back and forth first quarter. A three-pointer helped Waynesburg gain a little separation at 10-6 with 6:20 to play in the opening quarter. SVC quickly countered to regain the lead as Babette Sanmartin hit on a layup before Jasmine Weems drained a three-pointer to give the Bearcats an 11-10 advantage.
 
Waynesburg answered back with six straight points to pull ahead with a 16-11 edge. Sanmartin would hit a layup late in the quarter to bring the Bearcats within three (18-15) but the Jackets made a layup of their own to take a 20-15 lead after 10 minutes.
 
The Bearcats would chip away in the early stages of the second quarter, eventually tying the game at 24 all with layups by Kayla Slovenec and Mara Benvenuti with 6:16 to play. The Bearcats continued their run, building the lead to as many as seven points (35-28) with 1:12 to play in the quarter, when Sanmartin split a pair of free throws. The Bearcats held a 35-31 edge at the halftime break.
 
After trading scores early on in the third quarter, Benvenuti nailed a three to put the Bearcats up 41-34 at the with 7:18 left.
 
A little later on a layup by Slovenec and free throws by Sanmartin gave the Bearcats a double-digit lead (50-40) with 1:20 left in the third. Waynesburg made an early run in the fourth, bringing the deficit to just five (51-46) with 8:01 to play. Back-to-back three pointers by Hannah Carroll pushed the SVC lead back into double figures at the 6:53 mark.
 
However, Waynesburg countered with seven straight points by Haley Delaney to draw within a basket at 59-56 with 4:06 remaining. The game was back and forth for the remainder of the contest, with the teams trading scores. Waynesburg brought the deficit to a single point with 1:35 to play but the Bearcats' defense buckled down and held the Jackets scoreless for the remainder of the game.
 
Meanwhile, Sanmartin converted a layup and then Weems knocked down a pair of free throws to push the lead to five with 11 seconds left. Waynesburg was turned away offensively and Ellis capped the victory with a last second layup.
 
Sanmartin led Saint Vincent by tallying 14 points and 8 rebounds in the contest. Ellis added 13 points while Weems chipped in 11 to round out the Bearcats in double figures. Maria Morgan added eight rebounds off the bench, while Slovenec provided a spark off the bench with seven points and four rebounds. Carroll scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter. The senior from Severna Park, Md. also pulled down six rebounds while swiping away five steals in the contest.

Addy Knetzer posted a double-double for Waynesburg, posting 20 points and 13 rebounds in the loss. Delaney also put together a strong effort for the Jackets, totaling 17 points and 9 boards.
 
The win improves Saint Vincent to 2-1 in conference play and 4-4 overall. The loss dropped the Yellow Jackets to 3-1 in PAC play and 5-3 overall.
 
Saint Vincent returns to action when they host La Roche on Monday, Dec. 19. Start time is slated for 6 p.m.