A fourth quarter rally by the Bearcats lifted the team to a 51-47 victory over visiting Westminster College on Senior Day in the Carey Center.
A three from Maria Morgan and a layup by Babette Sanmartin gave the Bearcats a 5-2 lead early, but the Titans came back to take the lead, holding it for much of the first quarter. Down 12-6, the Bearcats got a three from Taylor Boring, followed by a score from Paige Montrose to make it a one-point game, 12-11, at the end of the first quarter.
The Bearcats regained the lead just 25 seconds into the second quarter on a Carlee Kilgus jumper, but the lead continued to bounce back and forth for the next several minutes, until back-to-back threes from Westminster put them in front, 22-18 with just over three minutes remaining.
Another three from Morgan brought it back to a one-point game, then a steal by Kayla Slovenec on the next Titan possession led to a pair of free throws by Morgan that gave SVC a 23-22 lead with 2:51 remaining in the half. A driving layup by Sanmartin extended the lead to three, but the Titans battled back, and Saint Vincent went into the break with a one-point edge, 26-25.
The visitors came out of the locker room strong, outscoring the Bearcats 11-2 over the first seven minutes of the third quarter to take a 36-28 lead.
A three by Stephanie Vaughn near the two-minute mark made it a six-point game, 37-31, but after three quarters the Titans held a 39-33 advantage.
The fourth quarter started well for the Bearcats, with four points from Carlee Kilgus making it a 2-point game, 39-37.
With just over five minutes remaining, Mara Benvenuti hit a three to tie the game, 40-40. Montrose then drew a charge on the next possession, and Bri Van Volkenburg hit two free throws to put SVC in back in front, 42-40 with 4:39 remaining. After forcing another Titan turnover, the Bearcats got back to the foul line as Sanmartin drew a foul and hit both shots, extending the lead to four.
A three by Westminster's Paige Quinn closed the gap to just one, but Benvenuti hit another three with 1:05 on the clock to make the score 47-43 in favor of the hosts. A pair of free throws with 20 seconds left put SVC in front by five, 49-44, but a three from Brooke Lyczek with 7 seconds on the clock cut it to three. Montrose was fouled on the inbound pass and went to the line, hitting both shots to give SVC a four-point lead, 51-47, which they held in the closing seconds.
Kilgus led the Bearcats with 8 points on the day, while Montrose tallied 7, and Benvenuti had 6 key points in the fourth quarter. Benvenuti led all rebounders on the day with 9 and also had four steals.
Westminster's Lyczak led all scorers with 15.
Saint Vincent finishes the regular season with an overall record of 17-8, 14-4 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, while Westminster ends at 7-18, 3-15 in the PAC. The Bearcats will host a PAC Quarterfinal playoff game on Wednesday night (February 21) in the Carey Center at 7PM.