Behind 20 points from Babette Sanmartin, the SVC women's basketball team advanced to the second round of the Presidents' Athletic Conference playoffs with a 67-52 win over Bethany College.

Saint Vincent controlled the tempo of the first half, shooting 43% from the field while holding Bethany to just 24%. Mara Benvenuti got things rolling for the Bearcats, driving through the heart of the defense for the first points of the contest. After a Bison free throw, junior Susie Ellis crossed up her defender and drained her first three of the night to give the Bearcats a 5-1 lead. Sanmartin was to be a strong presence in the post for S VC, scoring four straight to give Saint Vincent a 9-1 advantage with 6:19 left in the quarter.
 
Bethany was finally able to end their three minute scoreless drought, but SVC answered with two Sanmartin free throws and a Maria Morgan floater to extend their lead to 10. Benvenuti ran the Bearcat offense, finding Morgan for a fast break and-one play and Sanmartin for a jumper with 9 seconds left to end the first, making the score 19-10 Saint Vincent.
 
The second period was no different than the first, as the Bearcats started off scoring six straight to extend their lead to 17. Benvenuti grabbed an offensive board on the first possession, scoring off the rebound to make the score 21-10 SVC with 9:46 left in the half. Sanmartin scored in the post followed by an Ellis drive and a Benvenuti jumper to grow the score to 27-10.
 
Ellis scored her second trey of the night from a Morgan assist before the Bison put together two consecutive scoring possessions. Hannah Carroll answered with two free throws followed by a Benvenuti three with 39 seconds left would send the Bearcats into the locker room with a 35-22 lead.
 
For Saint Vincent, Sanmartin had a game-high 10 first-half points while Benvenuti added 9 and 8 boards. For Bethany, Hayley Holenka scored 6 points.
 
The Bearcats continued to find the basket during the second half, while the Bison fought to decrease the deficit. A Jasmine Weems three made the score 40-24 SVC with 8:29 left in the period. Following the trey, Bethany converted two straight shots before Weems found Carroll under the hoop for two. Ellis netted two free throws and Carroll scored in the lane to round out the third, sending the Bearcats into the final quarter holding a 50-33 lead.
 
Benvenuti maintained her scoring presence in the fourth, scoring on a putback and a drive to extend the SVC lead to 21. Sanmartin scored down low on the next possession before the Bison went on a 8-0 run to decrease the advantage to 15. Benvenuti answered the run with a basket of her own but Bethany scored on the following possession to make the score 58-43 with a little over 3 minutes left in the contest. Benvenuti and Weems connected on a textbook give-and-go and Sanmartin netted four straight points to close the game as Saint Vincent defeated Bethany in the first round of the PAC tournament by a score of 67-52.
 
Sanmartin led the Bearcats with 20 points while Benvenuti added a double-double, scoring 18 and grabbing 11 boards. Ellis scored 10 and hauled in 6 rebounds to round out the Bearcat attack. For Bethany, Holenka netted a game high 22.