LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 27) – Four players scored in double figures to lead the Saint Vincent College women's basketball team to its fourth straight win, a 70-58 decision over visiting Waynesburg University in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.
 
Senior Alana Winkler scored a season-high 14 points to lead all scorers, while classmate Emily Cavacini added 13 points, sophomore Camdon Bashor 11 and freshman Ashley Lippold 10, going 4-4 from the field and 2-2 from the foul line, as the Bearcats (10-9, 8-6 PAC) earned their 12th consecutive victory over their longtime rival Yellow Jackets (4-15, 3-11 PAC).
 
Bashor also had a monster game on the glass, grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds for her first career double-double, as the Bearcats outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 51-43. Grad student Madison Weber added seven rebounds, and senior Lizzie Bender and junior Emily Thompson snared six apiece.
 
Along with their prowess on the glass, the Bearcats turned in a strong defensive effort, limiting their opponents to just 29 percent from the field (19-65). SVC also had an exceptional night at the foul line, connecting on 14 of 18 attempts (78 percent).
 
The Bearcats jumped out to a 7-3 lead three minutes into the first quarter, before the Yellow Jackets answered with a 9-2 run to take a 12-9 advantage with just under four minutes remaining in the frame. The Waynesburg lead swelled to 15-11 with 2:30 to go, but SVC received buckets from Bender, Jillian Mannarino and Weber to give the lead back to the Bearcats, 17-15, with 1:12 to go. The back-and-forth quarter ended with Waynesburg scoring four straight to take a 19-17 lead into the second.
 
The Yellow Jackets scored the first bucket of the second quarter, but the Bearcats took charge by scoring 11 of the next 14 points to open up a 28-24 lead with 2:29 left in the quarter. Over the run of seven minutes, SVC received baskets from Reese Gadsby, Cavacini, Thompson, Bashor and Winkler, while holding the Yellow Jackets without a field goal. Waynesburg temporarily snapped the drought with a free throw to make it 28-25 with 1:56 left, but the Bearcats charged back to score the final six points of the quarter, with four from Winkler and two from Thompson, to take a 34-25 lead into the break. Over the span of the second quarter, SVC outscored Waynesburg 17-6, with the Yellow Jackets shooting 1-14 from the field.
 
The teams traded buckets in the opening stages of the third quarter, before a pair of Cavacini buckets sandwiched a Weber layup to give SVC its first double-digit lead of the afternoon, 42-31, at the midpoint of the quarter. Waynesburg promptly cut into the deficit, countering with a 10-4 run over the next three minutes to pull to within five, 46-41, on a three-pointer from Kalista Friday with 1:04 left in the quarter. Winkler then gave the Bearcats some breathing room with a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left, as the hosts took a 48-41 lead into the final frame.
 
Fueled by six points from Lippold in a two-minute span, the Bearcats regained a double-digit lead, 56-44, with 7:31 left in regulation, but another three from Friday pulled the Yellow Jackets back to within seven, 56-49, with 6:24 to go. Lippold promptly answered with a layup to push the lead back to eight points, and the fastbreak bucket kicked off a 12-5 run, with a pair of Bashor free throws pushing the margin to 68-54 with 1:38 left and putting the game away for good.
 
Along with her team-high 14 points, Winkler also led both sides with six assists, while Cavacini dished five, as the Bearcats had 17 assists on their 28 field goals.
Friday led Waynesburg with 14 points, while teammate Julz Mohrbacher grabbed 12 rebounds.
 
The Bearcats will now take their winning streak on the road, as they travel to Grove City for a 5:30 p.m. matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 31.