LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 13, 2024) – The Saint Vincent College women's basketball team rode a balanced offense and stout defense to snap a four-game losing skid with a 61-37 win over Franciscan University in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.
 
The Bearcats (7-9, 5-6 PAC) saw 12 players register at least two points, while limiting the Barons (3-13, 1-10 PAC) to just 20 percent (11-53) from the field and forcing 23 Franciscan turnovers.
 
Emily Cavacini led the SVC offense, scoring 12 points in just 24 minutes of action. Kayla Sharman came off the bench to score eight points in only 11 minutes, including a 2-3 mark from behind the arc, while Camdon Bashor and Makenna Maier each scored six points.
 
Alana Winkler produced a solid all-round afternoon, leading the Bearcats in both rebounds (9) and assists (4), while scoring four points and picking off two steals. Ashley Lippold added a career-high eight rebounds.
 
Jillian Mannarino swiped six steals and Jillian Mannarino three, while Bashor recorded a game-high three blocked shots.
 
Saint Vincent jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two minutes of play, with two points apiece from Lizzie Bender, Cavacini and Winkler, and the hosts would never relinquish the lead. The Barons used a pair of early three-pointer to eventually pull to within one, 9-8, with just over five minutes left, before SVC scored five of the final seven points of the quarter, on a Winkler baseline jumper and a long three from Ashley Pontius, to take a 14-10 lead after 10 minutes of play.
 
The Bearcats then used an early flurry in the second quarter to pull away for good, opening the frame on an 8-0 run, with a three from Mannarino and five points from Cavacini, to open up a 22-10 lead with 7:25 left in the half. The teams traded baskets over the next two minutes before SVC closed the quarter in the same fashion it began, using a 10-2 run over the final three minutes, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Makenna Maier, to take a 32-14 hafltime lead.  Over the decisive second quarter, Saint Vincent went 7-15 from the field and 4-6 from distance, while limiting the Barons to just one field goal on 15 attempts.
 
The Saint Vincent lead continued to grow over the third quarter, reaching 37-14 on a Cavacini three-pointer with 8:00 left, before extending to 27 points, 43-16, on a fastbreak give-and-go layup from Cavacini to Bashor with 4:20 to go. Lippold's layup closed the quarter's scoring and gave the Bearcats a 45-18 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
SVC's lead would never shrink below 20 points over the final fourth quarter, during which Sharman connected on a pair of three-pointers, Kate Bollinger sank a pair of layups and Ava Baeslach scored her first career basket.
 
Saint Vincent held a decisive 56-35 advantage in rebounding, and more than doubled-up the Barons in points in the paint, 26-12. The Bearcats also had a 13-2 advantage in second-chance points and scored 19 points off of the Barons' 23 turnovers.
 
Franciscan was led on the scoresheet by Caroline Reedy, who scored 13 points, while Emma Clow added 11 points and Mikayla Doan a team-high seven rebounds.
 
The Bearcats will now wrap up their mini two-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 17, hosting PAC foe Thiel College at 5:30 p.m. at the Carey Center.