LATROBE, Pa. (Nov. 11) – A hot third quarter propelled No. 18 Marietta past Saint Vincent, 51-38, in a defensive battle in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.
Leading 25-21 at the intermission, Marietta (1-1) pulled away by outscoring Saint Vincent (1-1) 19-11 over the decisive third quarter.
Emily Cavacini had 12 points and
Madison Weber 11 to lead Saint Vincent, but a swarming Marietta defense forced 27 Bearcats turnovers and limited the hosts to just 29 percent from the floor, including a 1-for-12 showing from behind the arc.
The Pioneers jumped out to an 11-6 lead seven minutes into the first quarter, before SVC's
Kayla Sharman connected on a long three-pointer from the wing to make it a 2-point game. The two teams traded baskets the rest of the way, with Marietta taking a 13-11 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
Weber and
Ella Marconi each hit two free throws in the opening minute of the quarter to give SVC its first lead of the night, 15-13, but the visitors outscored the Bearcats 12-6 over the rest of the frame to take a 25-21 lead into the intermission. Defense continued to be the theme in the second frame, as the two teams combined for just six field goals, with SVC going 2-for-11 from the field and Marietta 4-for-15. The Pioneers also connected on the only two treys of the second frame, but the Bearcats kept it close with a strong 6-for-8 showing from the foul line.
Weber and
Emily Thompson connected on layups in the opening minute of the second half to close the Marietta lead to 27-25, but the Pioneers countered with a 9-0 run to open up their first double-digit lead of the night, 36-25, with 5:42 left in the third. A Sharman layup would temporarily halt the Marietta surge, but the Pioneer advantage would eventually grow to 12, 44-32, at the close of the quarter.
After jumpers by Weber and Cavacini pulled SVC to within 47-36 with 7:10 left in regulation, Marietta scored four straight to take their largest lead of the night, 51-36, with just inside six minutes to go. The Bearcats held the Pioneers off the board for the remainder of the contest, but SVC was unable to cut into the deficit, managing just one more bucket, a Cavacini layup with 2:27 left.
Both squads shot only 29 percent from the field, but the Pioneers took 16 more shots than the Bearcats thanks in part to 19 offensive rebounds. The visitors also scored 20 points off SVC's 27 turnovers.
Marconi paced both sides with 13 rebounds, but the Pioneers finished with a 45-40 margin on the glass.
Marietta was paced by Emma Hahn, who scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while teammate Olivia Gribble finished with 12 points.
Saint Vincent will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 16, continuing their long homestand by hosting Franciscan University in each team's Presidents' Athletic Conference opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Carey Center.
