LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 3) -- The Saint Vincent College women's basketball team dropped its opening bout of the 2024 calendar year, falling by a 66-53 margin to visiting Allegheny College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup in the Robert S. Carey Student Center. 
 
Saint Vincent (6-7, 4-4 PAC) was plagued by cold shooting throughout the game, connecting on just 32 percent from the field (21-65). Conversely, the Gators (5-8, 4-4 PAC) shot at a 50 percent clip and connected on eight three-pointers.
 
Emily Cavacini paced the Bearcats with 16 points, while Madison Weber scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Emily Thompson and Lizzie Bender each scored six points. Cavacini also dished a team-high five assists.
 
Thompson staked SVC out to a quick 3-0 lead with a straight-on three-pointer on the game's opening possession, before buckets from Weber and Bender put the Bearcats in front 7-3 just over three minutes into play. The Gators battled back to tie the game at 7-7 with six minutes to go in the quarter, before a foul line jumper from Camdon Bashor allowed SVC to regain a 9-7 lead at the midpoint of the half. The teams traded baskets over the next several minutes, before the Gators scored the final four points of the quarter to take a 16-12 lead at the close of the frame.
 
The Gator lead swelled to 18-12 in the opening minute of the second quarter, but the Bearcats promptly answered back with six straight points to tie it up. Buckets from Bender book-ended the run, which also included an Emily Cavacini fast break layup off of an Ashley Lippold steal. The Gators would then get hot from outside, connecting on four three-pointers over the next five minutes to open up a 34-24 lead with 1:14 left in the half. A long three from Thompson pulled SVC to within seven with 35 seconds left, but on the final trip of the half, the Gators cashed in on three free throws with less than a second left to take the 37-27 halftime lead.
 
Weber scored on Saint Vincent's first possession of the second half to pull to within single digits, but the Gators promptly countered with a 12-3 run over the next four minutes to extend their lead to 49-32 with 4:59 left in the quarter. The teams traded baskets over the final four minutes of the frame, with Cavacini scoring four points over the last two minutes, as the Gators took a 53-38 lead into the final quarter.
 
Allegheny scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to take their largest lead of the night with 8:43 left. Saint Vincent then countered with a 10-4 run over the next 2:30, with Reese Gadsby scoring five points over the span, to close the gap to 62-48 with 6:12 remaining in regulation. The Gators, however, regrouped to score the next four points and open up a 66-48 lead with 3:40 left to effectively put the game away.
 
While Allegheny had a hot shooting night, Saint Vincent forced its visitors into 19 turnovers, while only committing nine. Seven different players accounted for SVC's 10 steals, led by two apiece from Weber, Lippold, and Alana Winkler.
 
Sarah Santicola led the Gators in the victory, turning in a 17-point, 18-rebound double-double. Emily Lauer also bucketed 17 points, fueled by three three-pointers.
 
Saint Vincent will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 6, traveling south to take on PAC co-leader Washington & Jefferson at 1 p.m.