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Mara Benvenuti tallied 16 points and 8 rebounds, but the Bearcats lost to a tough squad from Bethel University, 64-51 in the final day of the Daytona Shootout, held in Daytona Beach, Florida.

With the performance, Benvenuti is now sitting at 999 career points.

The Bearcats got off to a good start, building a 10-4 lead after back-to-back scores from Carlee Kilgus and Benvenuti.  After a Bethel score, Babette Sanmartin made it 12-6 off a spin move in the lane, but the game's next 9 points were scored by the Royals, as they built a 15-12 lead with 1:36 left, forcing SVC Coach Jimmy Petruska to call a time out.
 
A layup by Kilgus stopped the run and made it a one-point game, but Bethel took a 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
The opponents turned up the heat on defense to start the second.  After a score made it 21-16, SVC turned the ball over on two straight possessions, which led to five points from Bethel, giving them a 26-16 lead with 8:31 remaining in the second.
 
Benvenuti then re-entered the game and was able to get through the defense, driving to the hoop and scoring four times over the next five minutes, cutting the gap to 32-27 near the three minute mark.  A baseline drive by Kayla Slovenec left the score at 32-29, but Bethel answered with a score to make it 34-29.  Once again, Benvenuti found the basket, this time on a layup after a baseline drive, to reduce the margin to three.  After a three by the Royals made it 37-31, Paige Montrose hit a jumper to end the half, 37-33.
 
Both teams struggled from the floor to start the second half, with Bethel getting on the board at the 8:30 mark, followed more than a minute later by a Kilgus jumper.  However, the next 11 points went to the Royals, as they built at 50-35 lead at the 1:43 mark of the third.  A score by Kiara Arnold finally ended the SVC drought (50-37) with just over a minute and a half left in the third.
 
The Bearcats trailed by as many as 22 early in the fourth, before Benvenuti hit a pair of baskets.  Kilgus later hit a three, and Sanmartin followed with a score to make it 64-48 with just under two minutes remaining. The Bearcats added three more points at the free throw line in the closing minutes, but were unable to make up the difference.

Following Benvenuti on the stat sheet was Kilgus, with 11 points, and Sanmartin with 8.  Montrose grabbed 7 rebounds and had four steals.

For Bethel, Hannah Johnson had 15 points while Taite Anderson had 8 rebounds.

Saint Vincent is now 6-5 overall on the season.  The team will be off for the holidays before returning to action on January 3, 2018 at Bethany College.