LATROBE, Pa. (Feb. 12) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team used a second half surge to pull away for a 59-43 victory against Presidents' Athletic Conference opponent Franciscan.
Leading by only three points at halftime, the Bearcats would extend their lead in the fourth quarter to as many as 18 in the final minute of regulation to secure the win in the Robert S. Carey Student Center over the Barons
Two Bearcats scored in double-digit, as Ella Marconi recorded her fifth consecutive double-double with a team-high 18 points and 10 boards, while classmate Taylor Geer added 12 points and six boards. Emily Cavacini added a career-high eight rebounds in the win, as the Bearcats held a commanding 50-34 lead on the glass.
The Barons got off to a strong start to open up a 12-7 lead over the first five minutes of the opening quarter, before the Bearcats out-scored their visitors 10-4 over the final four minutes to take the one-point lead, 17-16, on a pair of Madison Weber free throws to close the quarter.
A Marconi jumper on the opening possession of the second quarter upped SVC's lead to 19-16, before Emily Thompson scored six straight points in a 90-second span to cap off a 10-3 run and put the hosts in front 29-19 with 5:32 until the half. Franciscan was not going down without a fight as back-to-back baskets and a pair of free throws toward the end of the quarter dwindled the Bearcats lead to six points, 31-25, at the intermission.
Over the opening 20 minutes, the Bearcats shot just 38.2 percent from the field (13-for-34), compared to a 30.3 percent mark by Franciscan (10-for-33). The two teams also combined for 13 first-half turnovers, nine by Saint Vincent.
The Barons continued to chip away at the deficit until tying it at 32-all with 6:40 left in the third quarter. A layup and free throw from Autumn Fennell stopped the Baron surge and put the Bearcats back in front, 35-32, with 5:03 left, and SVC would go on to out-score its visitors 10-4 over the remainder of the quarter, with baskets from Cavacini and Marconi over the final minute giving the Bearcats a 45-36 lead heading into the final frame.
The Saint Vincent lead would grow to 50-36 three minutes into the final frame, with a pair of free throws from Marconi, one from Alana Winkler, and a basket from Lauren Gamble. The Barons would eventually pull to within 52-41 with just inside three minutes left, but the Bearcats pulled away down the stretch, scoring seven of the game's final nine points to cruise to the 16-point win.
For the game, Saint Vincent was held to just 38.1 percent from the floor (24-for-63), including a 0-for-4 mark from behind the arc, while the SVC defense limited. Franciscan to just 28.6 percent from the field.. The turnovers were nearly even, with SVC committing 19 miscues and the Barons 16.
Jazzlyn Melnyk tallied a team-high 16 points while teammate Madison Doan chipped in nine, grabbing nine rebounds.
Saint Vincent travels to Beaver Falls, Pa. to face Geneva College in a PAC matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
