LATROBE, Pa. (Feb. 28) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team's PAC title run came to an end Saturday afternoon, as the Bearcats fell to second-seeded Washington & Jefferson, 64-43, in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Game inside the Robert S. Carey Center.
Saint Vincent concludes the season at 21-7 overall and 14-2 in PAC play, while the Presidents improve to 22-6 overall and 14-2 in conference action with the championship victory. With the victory, the Presidents earn the PAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The opening 20 minutes were a back-and-forth battle. W&J held a slim 14-13 edge after one quarter, but the Bearcats answered in the second, outscoring the Presidents 16-14 to take a 29-28 lead into halftime.
Washington & Jefferson flipped the momentum coming out of the break. The Presidents limited Saint Vincent to seven points in the third quarter while scoring 14 to move in front 42-36 heading to the fourth, before delivering the decisive stretch in the final period.
W&J erupted for 22 fourth-quarter points on 7-of-10 shooting and 3-of-4 from three-point range, while holding Saint Vincent to just seven points on 2-of-11 shooting over the final 10 minutes to pull away for the 21-point win.
For the game, Saint Vincent shot 34.0% (16-of-47) from the field and 38.5% (5-of-13) from three, while Washington & Jefferson finished at 44.4% (20-of-45) overall and 57.1% (8-of-14) from behind the arc. The Presidents also made the difference at the foul line, going 16-of-18, compared to 6-of-12 for the Bearcats.
Although Saint Vincent held a 30-28 edge on the glass, W&J capitalized on key possessions throughout the afternoon, forcing 13 Bearcat turnovers and converting them into a 15-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The Presidents also posted a 22-18 edge in points in the paint, while Saint Vincent received eight bench points compared to one for W&J.
Individually,
Makenna Maier led the Bearcats with 20 points, knocking down four three-pointers.
Brooke Evans added eight points and seven rebounds, while
Emerson Peffer provided a lift off the bench with six points, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots.
Olivia Yancy chipped in five points and an assist as well.
Washington & Jefferson was paced by Katie Kovalchick's 22 points, with Stellanie Loutsion adding 17, Riley DeRubbo scoring 14, and Marina Grado finishing with 10 points.
The Bearcats 21 wins this season are the most since the 2022-23 season.
