The 25th-ranked Lady Bearcat basketball team fired on all cylinders to defeat Ohio Wesleyan 92-53 in the opening round of the Hampton Inn/Damon's Grill Tip-off Tournament in Wilmington, OH.

Saint Vincent jumped out to a 16-0 lead just 5:15 into play and never looked back, as the Lady Bearcat defense forced 23 turnovers and limited the Bishops to just 27 percent (17-for-63) from the floor, while the SVC offense shot 57 percent (36-for-63) from the floor and boasted four double-digit scorers.

Emily Fenton led the way for Saint Vincent, coming off the bench to score 20 points in just 23 minutes of play, going 7-for-9 from the floor and 5-for-7 from the three-point line.  Brittany Sedlock and Maria Baroffio added 18 points apiece, while Melissa Mansur scored 10.  Like Fenton, Baroffio was strong from the outside, connecting on 4-of-6 from behind the arc, as Saint Vincent went 11-for-20 from long range for the game.

The Lady Bearcats owned a 50-29 advantage on the glass, with Sedlock picking up 12 rebounds for the double-double.

Saint Vincent took charge from the start, forcing 11 Ohio Wesleyan turnovers over the first six minutes of play to jump out to the 16-0 lead, with Sedlock posting eight points over the span.  The Lady Bearcat lead continued to grow over the first half, as a jumper from Fenton followed by a pair of Sedlock layups made the score 31-10 with seven minutes left until the intermission.

The Lady Bearcats continued to roll in the final minutes of the half, scoring on five of their final six possessions to take a 47-22 halftime lead.  Over the first half, Saint Vincent owned a 22-2 advantage in points in the paint and scored 18 points off of OWU turnovers, while the Bishops connected on just six of 28 attempts from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

Saint Vincent's lead kept increasing in the second half thanks to Fenton, who cashed in on three pointers on three consecutive trips down the court to push SVC ahead 73-40 with 10 minutes left in regulation.  The lead reached 40 points - 84-44 - on a Caty Kumar jumper with 3:44 remaining, and the Lady Bearcats cruised down the stretch for the 39-point win.

Ohio Wesleyan (0-2) was led on the scoresheet by Tyler Cordell's 17 points and Kayla Gordon's 12.

Saint Vincent (1-0) will now appear in the championship game of the tourney on Saturday afternoon at 3pm, taking on host Wilmington College, which defeated Defiance 60-56 in the other opening round game on Friday night.