LATROBE, Pa. (Feb. 22)- The Saint Vincent women's basketball team defeated Westminster 52-45 to advance to the President's Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday.
 
Ella Marconi scored a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double, while the Saint Vincent (21-4) defense limited Westminster (16-11) to just 27 percent from the field and forced 14 turnovers.
 
Emily Cavacini also scored in double figures for Saint Vincent, scoring 11 points. Madison Weber added seven points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out five assists. Emily Thompson scored seven points for SVC as well, while also dishing out two assists in the Bearcats semifinal victory.
 
It was a very low-scoring first quarter just as the majority of the Bearcats games have been this season, as only 19 total points were scored in the quarter. Westminster got on the board first after a layup by Lindsay Bell, followed by the Bearcats first field goal of the game on a layup by Marconi to tie the score up at 2-2 early.
 
Both teams went back-and-forth scoring baskets on each end of the court, as the game remained tied at 6-6 just under four-minutes into the quarter. After Westminster scored on another layup from Bell to take an 8-6 lead, Saint Vincent closed the quarter out on a 5-0 run. A made free throw by Thompson, followed up with back-to-back layups by Weber gave Saint Vincent an 11-8 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
In the second quarter, it was much of a different story, as Westminster controlled the majority of the quarter. The Titans opened the quarter on a 6-0 run that spanned over the first three minutes of the quarter to take the lead 14-11. Saint Vincent scored two field goals in a row on layups by Cavacini and Weber, as Saint Vincent regained the lead 15-14.
 
After trading the next two baskets, Saint Vincent still held a slight lead at 17-16 with 3:13 remaining in the quarter. Westminster answered with a 9-1 run to take a nine-point lead at 26-17, their largest lead of the game with 1:39 remaining in the first half.
 
The Bearcats answered the Titans run scoring the final four points of the quarter on back-to-back jumpers by Marconi, cutting the Westminster lead to 26-21 at the halftime break. Westminster outscored Saint Vincent 18-10 in the quarter.
 
Saint Vincent came out on fire in the beginning of the third quarter. The Bearcats opened the quarter up on an 11-0 run, holding Westminster scoreless for the first 6:13 of the third quarter, as SVC took a 32-26 lead. Westminster climbed right back into it, scoring four straight to get back to within two at 32-30 with 2:44 remaining in the quarter. The Bearcats increased their lead to 35-32 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Bender got the Bearcats on the board first after a layup increased their lead to five at 37-32 in the first minute of the quarter. Westminster answered scoring the next six points to regain the lead at 38-37 with 6:12 remaining in the game. The Titans continued on the attack, tying the game up at 40-40 with just over five minutes to go.
 
The teams traded the next two baskets as Cavacini knocked in a big three-pointer, before Natalie Murrio tied the game up at 43-43 after an and-one with 3:27 remaining in the quarter. The Bearcats scored the next four points on two made free throws by Thompson and a jumper from Marconi gave Saint Vincent a four-point lead at 47-43 and they wouldn't lose the lead the rest of the game.
 
Westminster cut the SVC lead to two at 47-45, but the Bearcats defense closed the game out for them, holding the Titans scoreless over the final 1:37 of the fourth quarter, sending the Bearcats to the PAC Championship game.
 
Saint Vincent scored 32 points in the paint as a team, while also scoring six second chance points, and 13 points off of turnovers.
 
The Bearcats will host the PAC Championship game on Saturday, February 25, when they play host to the fourth-seeded Chatham Cougars. The time for tip-off will be announced on Thursday.