LATROBE, Pa. (Nov. 16) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team utilized a stifling defense to defeat visiting Franciscan University, 75-28, in each team's Presidents' Athletic Conference opener in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.

The Bearcats (2-1, 1-0 PAC) limited the Barons (1-1, 0-1 PAC) to just eight field goals in 53 attempts (15.1 percent), while forcing 38 Franciscan turnovers.The 28 points surrendered are the fewest allowed by a Saint Vincent team since Jan. 8, 2005, when the Bearcats defeated Houghton, 62-28.

Offensively, twelve different Saint Vincent players scored at least two points, while five scored more than seven.

Madison Weber led both sides with 13 points, going 4-for-6 from the field while nabbing a team-high four steals. Emily Thompson was a second Bearcat to score in double figures with 10 points, while Kayla Sharman scored a career-best nine points, Ella Marconi eight, and Alana Winkler seven.

Marconi also went 4-for-6 from the floor and led Saint Vincent with 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Saint Vincent took control early on in the first quarter, jumping out to an 8-0 lead just over two minutes into play, with Thompson and Weber each scoring four points. The visitors would eventually close the gap to 10-5 at the midpoint of the quarter, but Marconi and Alana Winkler each scored baskets in the final minute to push the margin to 14-5 at the close of the quarter.

After a Franciscan three-pointer closed the gap to 16-8 40 seconds into the second frame, Saint Vincent responded with a lengthy 13-2 run over the next eight minutes to open up a 29-10 lead with 1:10 left in the half. Over the decisive surge, the Bearcats held the Barons to just one field goal, while forcing nine turnovers. A free throw from Emily Cavacini would close out the half's scoring and send the game into the break with SVC ahead 30-13.

The Bearcats continued to roll, scoring the first nine points of the third quarter, with four points from Thompson, three from Diana Mosten and two from Cavacini, to open up a 39-13 lead. Defensively, Saint Vincent limited Franciscan to just one field goal over the duration of the quarter, taking a 46-21 advantage into the fourth.

The story was much of the same in the fourth quarter, with SVC out-scoring Franciscan 29-7 over the final 10 minutes. Eight different Bearcats scored baskets in the quarter, with Sharman scoring seven, Reese Gadsby five, and Winkler and Anna Betz four. Betz also added four steals and four assists over a quarter in which the Bearcats shot 10-for-18 from the field and the Barons just 2-for-15.

Franciscan was led on the night by Madison Doan and Emma Clow, who each scored seven points. Doan agrabbed a team-best 11 rebounds.

The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 19, when they wrap up their season-opening 4-game homestand by welcoming PAC foe Westminster College to the Robert S. Carey Center for a 2 p.m. matchup.