Mara Benvenuti scored 20 points to lead the Bearcats to a 55-41 victory over Grove City in the Carey Center on Senior Day.
 
Strong interior defense and offensive rebounding powered the Bearcats throughout the first quarter, as Saint Vincent ended the period with a 17-6 lead.
 
Freshman Maria Morgan found Hannah Carroll under the basket for the first Bearcat points of the night. Morgan did some scoring of her own on the following possession, driving down the left side of the court and finishing in the lane to make it 4-0 SVC. Grove City drained two from the free throw line before Susie Ellis netted a step-back three off of her own offensive rebound.
 
The Wolverines answered with a jumper but SVC responded, as Babette Sanmartin scored a long two. Sanmartin continued to work offensively, going up and under the basket for the score while drawing a foul in the process. She couldn't capitalize on the free throw, but her basket sparked a 10-0 Saint Vincent run that led to a 15-point lead.
 
Ellis found Benvenuti on a textbook give and go to make the score 15-6 SVC with 2:14 left in the quarter. After two scoreless possessions by both teams, Benvenuti held the ball and nailed a jumper to close out the quarter. Benvenuti maintained a strong offensive presence in the second period, scoring on the first two Bearcat possessions to give SVC a 21-6 advantage.
 
Grove City was able to score six straight, but Benvenuti answered the run with four consecutive points. A Sanmartin jumper on the final SVC possession closed out the first half, as Saint Vincent went into the locker room leading Grove City, 27-18.
 
Benvenuti led all scorers with 12 first-half points and 5 rebounds. Ellis grabbed 4 offensive boards in the half and Sanmartin scored 8 of her own. For the Wolverines, Natalija Galens and Kathryn Erbelding netted 6 a piece.
 
Grove City scored in the post to start the third, but Benvenuti responded, once again, to make the score 29-20 Saint Vincent. Benvenuti drove to the basket on the next possession, scoring again to keep a 10-point Bearcat lead. Morgan followed, draining a three from a Sanmartin find making the score 34-24 SVC with 6:03 left in the quarter. On the next possession, Ellis drove off a pick to find the basket for two before the Wolverines began to shrink the Bearcat advantage.
 
Grove City converted shots on two straight possessions until Morgan connected with Sanmartin under the hoop for two. The Wolverines answered to bring the game within eight to close out the third, 42-34.
 
Ellis found Morgan for a jumper to start the final quarter, but Grove City kept fighting, scoring five straight to make it a 5-point game. This would be the closest the visitors would get as the Bearcats threw together a 10-2 run of their own. Benvenuti pulled up in the lane to start the scoring streak to grow the lead to seven. Grove City immediately answered, but a Sanmartin bank shot and two Carroll free throws made the score 50-41 Saint Vincent. Carroll, who played sound defense all game, stole the ball on the final Wolverine possession to close out the contest as the Bearcats defeated Grove City 55-41.
 
Benvenuti led all scorers with 20 followed by Sanmartin, who netted 14 and grabbed 8 boards. Ellis recorded 8 rebounds of her own, 5 of them being offensive and both Morgan and Ellis dished 5 helpers. Erbelding scored 12 for GCC.