WASHINGTON, Pa. (Feb. 11) – Danni Medovich drained a three-pointer with 1:10 to play to help lift W&J to a 74-73 victory over the Saint Vincent women's basketball team at the Henry Memorial Center.

The loss dropped the Bearcats to 19-3 overall and 13-2 in Presidents' Athletic Conference play. W&J improved to 17-5 overall and 11-4 in conference action.

Both teams got off to a hot start offensively, trading baskets over the first few possessions of the game. W&J held a 6-5 lead over Saint Vincent with 17:20 to play in the half.

The Bearcats then responded with 10 straight points, taking a 15-6 lead over the host Presidents. Forward Taylor Mathers and guard Drew Meeker each connected on three-pointers during the offensive run.

W&J then answered with a run of their own, scoring eight straight to cut the Saint Vincent lead to a single point (15-14), at the 13:50 mark. After a layup from junior Jess Welch, W&J scored five more points to regain the lead, at 19-17 with 11:45 to play in the first half.

After another basket strengthened the Presidents lead, Welch scored five straight points, putting SVC back in the lead at 22-21 with less than 10 minutes to play in the first half.

After a W&J basket, Mara Benvenuti would bring SVC back in front with a jumper at the 8:12 mark, making the score 24-23. W&J then split a pair of free throws to tie the score at 24-24, with 6:49 to play in the half.

SVC then scored seven straight points to take a 31-24 lead at the 6:08 mark. SVC used a jumper from Mathers, a three-point basket from Hannah Carroll and a layup from Ally Schmidt to score on the run.

The Presidents battled back, scoring 9-2 run to cut the Bearcats' lead back to a single point, at 33-32 with 2:33 to play in the half. Schmidt scored the Bearcats final six points of the half, as SVC settled on a 39-35 advantage at the break.

Saint Vincent stayed in the lead until W&J made back-to-back baskets to take a 43-42 with 15:58 to play. Welch tied the contest at 45 with a three-point field goal at the 14:43 mark. Benvenuti followed with a layup shortly thereafter, giving them a 47-45 advantage.

The Bearcats lead swelled to six points when Jill Kegg knocked down a pair of free throws at the 11:02 mark. That is when W&J made its run, outscoring Saint Vincent 12-2 over the next four minutes to take a 64-60 lead. SVC responded with back-to-back three pointers from Meeker, taking a 66-64 advantage with 5:51 to go.

SVC held the lead until W&J hit a jump shot to make it 69-69 with 3:03 to play. Mathers was the Bearcats sole source of offense over the next few minutes, twice making a pair of free throws. W&J regained the lead at 74-73 with a three pointer with 1:10 to play.

That score would stand up as both teams went scoreless over the final minute plus. The Bearcats had a chance to tie the game or take the lead with six seconds left but missed two free throws and a layup as W&J held on for the win.
 
Mathers finished with a solid night, posting 21 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in the loss. Meeker had 12 points, while Schmidt and Welch both totaled 10 points for SVC. Beka Bellhy poured in a game-high 28 points for W&J.

The Bearcats will look to bounce back when they travel to Grove City on Saturday, Feb. 14. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.