GREENVILLE, Pa. (Feb. 17) – Mara Benvenuti poured in a game-high 21 points as the Saint Vincent women's basketball team earned a 77-62 victory over Thiel College in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at Beeghly Gymnasium.

With the win, the Bearcats clinched a home game in next Monday's PAC Tournament First Round. Start time against an opponent to be determined. SVC now sits at 8-9 in conference play and 13-11 overall.

After the host Tomcats scored the opening basket of the game, the Bearcats responded with seven straight points, making it 7-2 at the 7:25 mark of the first. Benvenuti scored four of the points during the run, while Susie Ellis added a three-pointer.

SVC pushed its lead to seven points on two occasions in the first quarter but Thiel chipped the deficit to three points late in the first quarter. Maria Morgan closed out the first quarter scoring with a layup off a pass from Jasmine Weems with 55 seconds ticks left in the first. The Bearcats held a 20-15 lead over Thiel after the first 10 minutes.

The Bearcats continued their strong work early in the second quarter, opening the stanza on an 8-0 run to push the advantage to 28-15. The run included three-point baskets from Hannah Carroll and Morgan.

Thiel cut the deficit down to nine points (28-19) after back-to-back scores. The Bearcats would respond by pushing the lead back to 13 points (34-21) on a layup by Babette Sanmartin at the 3:38 mark. That is when Thiel climbed back into the game before the break, using a 10-2 run to close the half with the score at 36-31.

The first half was a balanced attack as Benvenuti, Ellis and Morgan each tallied eight points over the opening 20 minutes. Benvenuti pulled down five rebounds and Morgan dished out four assists. Thiel actually out-shot SVC in the first half, converting 46.2 percent compared to just 33.3 percent for the Bearcats. However, SVC pulled down 14 offensive rebounds and attempted 13 more shots than the Tomcats in the opening half.

The Tomcats cut the deficit to four points with a basket at the 7:07 mark of the third quarter. SVC methodically built the lead back to double digits, making the lead 53-43 with a layup by Ellis with 2:26 left in the third quarter.

SVC maintained a double-digit lead through the end of the third quarter. Three Thiel free throws closed the deficit to just seven points (69-62) with 3:43 to play. However, Saint Vincent closed the game on an 8-0 run to finish off the win.

Benvenuti led the way with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists. Ellis chipped in 16 points, a game-high eight rebounds and a career-best five steals. Sanmartin tallied 18 points while Morgan added 14 points and five assists.

Saint Vincent controlled the paint, outrebounding the Tomcats by a 44-34 margin, including pulling down 24 offensive rebounds.

SVC closes out the regular season with a road trip to Kentucky to face #1 Thomas More on Saturday, Feb. 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m.