HUNTINGDON, Pa. (Nov. 9) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season with a 75-63 victory at Juniata College.

The Bearcats (1-0) jumped out to a big first quarter lead and then held off several charges from the host Eagles (0-1) to win their fourth straight season-opener.

Four players scored in double figures for the Bearcats, led by senior Taylor Geer, who pumped in a game-high 22 points. Sophomore Emily Cavacini scored a career-high 16, while junior Ella Marconi bucketed 14 points and sophomore Lizzie Bender 10.

Marconi also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to tally the double-double, the third of her career.

The Bearcats collected 9 steals and forced 23 Juniata turnovers, scoring 26 points off of the miscues. Saint Vincent, which out-rebounded Juniata 51-46 for the game, also scored 16 second-chance points to their opponents' 9.

Trailing 5-4 three minutes into play, a pair of Geer layups ignited a long 18-0 run for the Bearcats to open up a 22-5 lead. Geer scored 10 points over the surge and Cavacini five, while the SVC defense kept Juniata off the scoreboard for more than six minutes, with Juniata committing five turnovers and going a combined 0-for-10 from the field. The Bearcats would eventually open up at 25-9 lead after one quarter of play.

The tide would turn in the second quarter, as Juniata opened up the frame on a 15-5 run to trim the deficit to 32-24 with 4:08 until the half. Geer cashed in on a traditional three-point play to halt the run, and the Bearcat lead would grow to 36-27 in the final minute of the half after a Bender bucket and a Cavacini free throw. The Eagles would end the half with a layup at the buzzer to make it a seven-point game at the intermission, 36-29.

The hosts opened the second half scoring with a three-pointer to pull to within four, 36-32,  but the Bearcats would answer right back, with Alana Winkler, Marconi, Geer and Cavacini each connecting on layups in a 90-second span to push the lead back into double figures, 44-32, with 7 minutes left in the quarter. The two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes, with SVC's lead hovering between 9 and 11 points, before a pair of free throws from Autumn Fennell and a lay up from Lauren Gamble pushed SVC's advantage to 57-43 at the close of the third quarter.

The Bearcats would gradually increase the lead in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, with Marconi scoring on back-to-back trips to open up a 63-45 advantage with 7:37 to go in regulation. Saint Vincent's offense would then go ice cold and the Eagles countered with a lengthy 15-2 run to make it a five-point game, 65-60, with 2:29 left.

Juniata would get no closer, however, and the Bearcats put the game away at the foul line, Over the final 90 seconds, SVC went 6-for-7 from the stripe, with Cavacini going 4-for-5, to seal the 12-point win.

After SVC's hot start, the offense cooled down considerably, finishing with a 39 percent mark from the field (25-for-65), including just a 1-for-11 showing from behind the arc. Juniata shot 32 percent from the floor for the evening, with eight of their 24 made field goals coming from behind the arc. The Bearcats owned a considerable advantage at the foul line, making 24 freebies to the hosts' 7.

Juniata was led on the evening by Haily Sherman, who scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
 
The Bearcats will now have more than a week off before they return to the court, as they will next travel to Marietta College for a 7 p.m. non-conference game on Wednesday, Nov. 17.