STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Feb. 18) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team put together a strong all-around performance and took control early en route to a 68-35 Presidents' Athletic Conference victory over Franciscan University Wednesday afternoon at Finnegan Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Bearcats improved to 18-6 overall and 13-2 in PAC play, while the Barons fell to 3-21 and 0-15 in league action.
Saint Vincent jumped out to an early advantage and never looked back, opening the contest with a 16-11 first quarter lead and maintaining momentum throughout.
The Bearcats shot 48.2 percent from the field as a team (27-of-56) and knocked down 42.9 percent of their three-point attempts (6-of-14), while controlling the pace on both ends of the floor. Franciscan struggled offensively, managing just 13-of-52 shooting overall (25.0 percent) and 2-of-15 from beyond the arc (13.3 percent).
Senior
Makenna Maier led the Bearcats with a game-high 15 points, connecting on three of five triples and finishing with 11 total rebounds to pace Saint Vincent on both ends.
Camdon Bashor added 10 points while anchoring the defense with five blocks, and
Danielle Pontius contributed 9 points with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws that helped maintain the Bearcats' lead.
Emerson Peffer added nine points, and
Janay Rissmiller chipped in eight points in the steady scoring effort.
Olivia Yancy provided eight points and dished out four assists as part of the balanced attack.
Saint Vincent's defensive intensity was on full display, holding Franciscan to just 35 points and forcing turnovers that translated into 20 points off miscues. The Bearcats' pressure on the perimeter and physical presence in the paint limited second chances for the Barons while creating transition opportunities for SVC.
Behind consistent contributions across the roster, Saint Vincent never relinquished its advantage after the opening stanza, outscoring Franciscan in each quarter and pushing its conference winning ways deeper into the season.
The Bearcats return to action on Saturday, February 21 when they travel to take on Chatham in their PAC regular season finale. The game is scheduled to tip off at 12 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. With a win, the Bearcats can lock up the top seed in the PAC Tournament next week.
