CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (Jan. 17) – Despite holding a double-digit halftime lead, the Saint Vincent women's basketball team dropped a 75-58 decision at #2 Thomas More at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Ky.

The loss is the Bearcats first in Presidents' Athletic Conference play, dropping them to 7-1 in the PAC. Meanwhile, the Bearcats overall record now sits at 13-2. Thomas More improved to 15-0 overall and 8-0 in the league.

Both teams came in unbeaten in PAC play and battled through a back-and-forth first half. The teams traded baskets for the first eight minutes, with Thomas More holding a slim lead for the majority of that time. SVC was able to tie the contest up four times before taking their first lead of the first half at the 11:03 mark when sophomore guard Jasmine Weems nailed a three point basket, making it 13-10.

Thomas More answered with a basket to cut their deficit to a single point before junior guard Drew Meeker sunk another three-point basket for the Bearcats, pushing the SVC lead to 16-12 with 10:24 to play in the opening half.

Junior forward Shalia Williams sunk a pair of free throws to make the Bearcats lead 18-13 at the 9:59 mark. TMC answered with seven consecutive points to regain a 20-18 at the 8:04 mark.
From there SVC closed the first half on a 19-7 run over the final 8:04, sparked largely by three-point shooting. Sophomore guard Hannah Carroll and Weems combined to go 6-for-7 on three point attempts in the first half.

Saint Vincent closed the first half on a 19-9 run to close the half and hold a double-digit lead (37-27) over the PAC powerhouse Saints.

The second half was almost a completely different game, having TMC outscore Saint Vincent 48-21. The comeback was fueled by strong pressure defense, as the Saints forced the Bearcats into 13 turnovers after the break. The Bearcats had only committed six turnovers in the opening half of play. On the other side of things, TMC only committed four miscues in the second half of play.

TMC opened up the second half on a 13-2 to regain the lead (40-39) at the 14:22 mark. SVC did a nice of job of answering the initial run, answering with layups from Weems and Meeker to take a 43-40 advantage with 13:12 to play. TMC then rattled off the next six points to take a 46-43 advantage before senior guard Jessica Welch drained a three pointer to tie the game.

From that point on the Bearcats would never hold the lead or the tie the contest over the final 10 plus minutes. A pair of free throws from Taylor Mathers cut the Bearcats deficit to 53-49 with 8:43 to play. From that point on, TMC outscored SVC by a 22-5 margin to put the game away. The win extended the Saints winning streak to 62 against PAC opponents.

Mathers finished with her second consecutive double-double performance, leading SVC with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Weems added 14 points, while Carroll rounded out the Bearcats in double figures with 11 points. Sophomore guard Mara Benvenuti matched a game-high with six assists

Saint Vincent returns to action when they travel to Thiel College on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.