CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (Nov. 15)- The Saint Vincent Bearcats women's basketball team battled through a slow start and a strong second-quarter run by DeSales University Bulldogs, but ultimately fell short by a score of 65-55 on Saturday afternoon.
 
DeSales (2–1) jumped ahead early, outscoring the Bearcats 17–8 in the first quarter, and then extended the lead to 37–14 by halftime with a dominant 20-point second quarter.
 
The Bearcats (2–2) emerged from the break with greater urgency; Saint Vincent out-scored DeSales 19–17 in the third quarter and followed that with a 22-11 advantage in the fourth, but the deficit built in the first half proved too large to overcome.
 
Saint Vincent shot just 31.5 % overall (17-of-54) and hit only 29.6 % from three (8-of-27), while making 72.2 % of its free throws (13-of-18). They surrendered 24 points off turnovers. DeSales, by contrast, shot 45.5 % (25-of-55) and converted 38.5 % from deep (5-of-13).
 
Despite the outcome, the Bearcats did highlight some bright spots. Olivia Yancy poured in a team-high 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-10 from three-point range, and added three rebounds and two assists. Carmella McDole added 10 points on 3-of-4 field goals and also chipped in three boards and an assist in just 15 minutes.
 
The Bearcats' bench contributed 31 of the team's points, showing depth even as the starters struggled to get in sync. The team also recorded 14 offensive rebounds and 22 total boards.
 
Saint Vincent returns to action on Tuesday, November 18 with a home matchup against Mount Aloysius. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Robert S. Carey Center.