The 22nd-ranked Saint Vincent women's basketball team jumped out to a 19-3 first half lead and never looked back, as the Bearcats defeated Westminster College 82-47 in Presidents' Athletic Conference action in the Robert S. Carey Center on Wednesday night.
Four Bearcats scored in double figures, led by Maria Baroffio's game-high 20 points. Brittany Sedlock added 16 points, Emily Fenton 14, and Caty Kumar 11, while Sedlock also grabbed 14 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the year.
Saint Vincent wasted little time in jumping in front, as Baroffio hit a three-pointer just 12 seconds into play. Melissa Mansur followed with a trey of her own, and then Baroffio's second three made it 9-3 2:40 into the first half.
The Bearcats would continue to add onto their lead, and after a Fenton three-pointer and a pair of Kumar treys, SVC increased its advantage to 26-5 with 11 minutes remaining until halftime. With 3:51 left in the opening frame, a Baroffio lay up made it 41-15, before the Bearcats would eventually take a 47-19 lead into the locker room.
Over the first 20 minutes, the Bearcats shot 16-for-31 from the floor, including 7-for-12 from behind the three-point line. Conversely, the Titans would go just 8-for-31 from the field, and 2-for-10 from long range.
Saint Vincent kept rolling to start the second half, with a jumper from Sedlock at the 13:30 mark capping off a 9-0 run and giving SVC a 59-25 advantage. The 34-point lead was more than enough, as the Bearcats cruised down the stretch, with the 36-point final margin Saint Vincent's largest of the night.
For the game, the Bearcats out-rebounded the Titans 41-34, while Saint Vincent forced 20 turnovers, committing just eight. Westminster (4-14, 0-10 PAC) was led on the scoresheet by Gabby Holko, who came off the bench to score 12 points, coming by way of a 4-for-6 showing from behind the arc. Courtney Zitt had a team-high five rebounds, while adding two blocked shots.
The victory moves SVC's record to 16-2 overall, and 9-1 in the PAC. The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday afternoon, traveling to Pittsburgh, PA to take on Chatham University at 2pm.