The SVC women's basketball team held the lead after one quarter, but #1 Thomas More overpowered the Bearcats over the final three quarters, pulling away to a 79-52 victory at the Carey Center.
 
The first quarter featured a back and fourth contest with eight lead changes and exciting, competitive play. The Bearcats came out on fire from beyond the arc, as classmates Susie Ellis and Hannah Carroll netted back-to-back treys making the score 6-4 SVC with 7:11 left to play in the first. Ellis continued to make her scoring presence felt, scoring on a lay up followed by a fast break bucket off of a Jasmine Weems assist. After the Saints scored on consecutive possessions, a Maria Morgan baseline jumper regained the Bearcat lead making the score 14-13 SVC with a little over 2 minutes left in the period. Carroll and freshman Katie Ryan netted two free throws each, followed by a Ryan layup extending the Bearcat lead to three after the first quarter, 20-17.
 
After a lineup change to start the second, the Thomas More Saints, the reigning national champions, began to find the back of the hoop. The Saints scored first to begin the quarter before Mara Benvenuti drove to the hoop and connected on a floater making the score 22-19 SVC. Babette Sanmartin hit a clean jumper before the Saints scored six straight, regaining a 3-point lead. Weems converted a jumper off of a Benvenuti screen and a Lucy Bujdos trey completed the Bearcat scoring as the Thomas More Saints headed into the locker room with a 38-29 lead.
 
Ellis led the Bearcats with 7 first-half points and Benvenuti hauled in a game-high 5 first-half rebounds. For the Saints, Madison Temple netted 12 points and Sydney Moss scored 9.
 
The third quarter began slowly, before Carroll scored on a putback cutting the Saints' lead to 9 with 6:25 left in the period. Thomas More then scored 8 straight to grow a commanding 17-point lead with 3 minutes left in the quarter. With 32 seconds left, Benvenuti beat the shot clock on a driving floater. Weems created some buzzer beating excitement of her own, scoring a deep three with 3 seconds left, making the score 57-37 Thomas More going into the last quarter of play.
 
The Saints began the fourth on a 7-0 run extending their lead to 27. Although facing a large deficit, the Bearcats continued to battle, as Weems sparked the SVC offense scoring on a drive to the basket making the score 64-39 Saints. Benvenuti connected on 4 free throws over the next 3 possessions decreasing the Thomas More lead to 24 with 3:39 left in the contest. Benvenuti netted another two points off of a baseline drive and Carroll connected on a deep trey but the fourth quarter fight wasn't quite enough as Thomas More defeated the Bearcats by a score of 79-52.
 
For the Bearcats, Carroll scored 12 and Benvenuti netted 9 while dishing 6 assists. For the Saints, Moss and Temple scored 18 a piece. Moss had a double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds.

Saint Vincent falls to 2-6 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, while Thomas More improves to 8-0.  SVC will be back in action at the Carey Center on Wednesday, hosting Thiel College at 5:30PM.