STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Jan. 31) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team used a strong second half to secure a 70-54 win against Presidents' Athletic Conference opponent Franciscan.
 
Leading by only three points at halftime, the Bearcats would gradually extend their lead throughout the fourth quarter to take home the 16-point road win.

Four Bearcats scored in double-digits. Ella Marconi recorded a double-double, tallying a team-high 16 points and grabbing 11 boards, while classmates Emily Cavacini and Taylor Geer tallied 13 points apiece and Lizzie Bender chipped in 11. Alana Winkler led the Bearcats with four assists, while Cavacini and Gamble each had three of SVC's 13 steals. 

The Bearcats got off to a strong start to open up a 9-2 lead in the first five minutes of the opening quarter, before the Barons out-scored their visitors 10-5 over the final 4:30 to cut the Bearcat lead to two, 14-12, heading into the second frame.
 
Saint Vincent opened up a three-point lead three minutes into a tight second quarter, as the Bearcats and Barons continued to trade baskets throughout. Back-to-back buckets from Geer gave the Bearcats a 25-23 lead with five minutes left, before a Cavacini bucket with two seconds remaining kept Bearcat lead at two, 33-31 at the intermission.  
 
Over the opening 20 minutes, the Bearcats shot 40 percent from the field (14-for-35), compared to a 36.7 percent mark by Franciscan (11-for-30). The two teams also combined for 25 first-half turnovers.
 
Franciscan opened the third quarter on a 6-3 run to take its first lead of the night, 37-36, with 7:11 left in the frame. The Bearcats answered back, as a Marconi layup and Geer jumper pushed them back in front, 40-37, with 5:36 remaining.  SVC would then end the quarter with a flurry, out-scoring the Barons 11-6 over the final five minutes to take a 51-43 lead into the fourth.
 
Behind a pair of free throws from Marconi and baskets from Bender and Cavacini, the Bearcats upped their lead to 10, 57-47, three minutes into the final frame. Franciscan briefly cut the deficit to eight on its next possession, but the Bearcats countered with a 9-0 run, using baskets from four different players, to open up a 17-point lead, 66-49, with 4:08 left. The late surge finally put the game out of reach for the Barons, as SVC cruised down the stretch for the 16-point win.
 
For the game, Saint Vincent was held to just 40.3 percent from the floor (27-for-67), but shot a solid 4-for-7  from behind the arc. SVC held a 48-44 edge in rebounding, while the Bearcat defense limited Franciscan to just 30 percent from the field and forced 28 turnovers.

Three Barons scored in double-figures. Felicia MacGillivray tallied a game-high 22 points while teammates Jazzlyn Melnyk and Lauren Arena chipped in 11 and 10, respectively. Melnyk also led the Barons with 11 rebounds. 
 
Saint Vincent is back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 2, welcoming Bethany to the Robert S. Carey Student Center for a 5:30 p.m. PAC matchup. Spectators are required to wear masks.