GROVE CITY, Pa. (Feb. 24) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team used a strong fourth quarter to beat Grove City 56-44 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference quarterfinals at the College Arena.

After totaling just 28 points over the first three quarters, the Bearcats doubled their output by scoring 28 in the final quarter to advance to the PAC Semifinals for the sixth straight season.

After a Grove City layup opened the scoring, Mara Benvenuti countered back with a layup of her own to tie the game at 2-2 with 8:57 to play in the opening quarter.

From there, Grove City used an 11-0 run to build a 13-2 lead late in the first quarter. Susie Ellis ended the 8-plus minute scoring drought with a fast break layup after a steal and assist from Benvenuti.

Ellis opened the second quarter with a three-pointer before Katie Ryan added a layup, bringing SVC within six at 13-7.

Jasmine Weems made a jumper in the paint to close the gap to just two points at 15-13. After a Grove City basket, Weems split a pair of free throws to bring the deficit to 17-14 with 3:59 to play in the opening half.

However, Grove City closed the half on a 5-2 run to take a 22-16 lead into halftime. SVC shot just 20 percent in the first half (7-35), while Grove City attempted 12 less shots but converted at a 43.5 percent rate (10-23).

The Wolverines committed 15 first half turnovers but Saint Vincent had a lot of trouble converting those into points on the offensive end. Ellis led SVC with five points and six rebounds in the first half, while Laura Buchanan countered with six of her own in the first 20 minutes for Grove City.

After a scoreless first half, Hannah Carroll scored the first five points of the third quarter, bringing SVC within one at 22-21 at the 7:10 mark.

Kathryn Erbelding made a layup from the host Wolverines, but Ellis would counter back with a three-pointer, tying the score at 24-24 with 6:09 remaining in the quarter. The tie was the first since the score was 2-2 in the opening stages of the contest.

The teams only score four points each over the final six minutes of the quarter, bringing the score to 28-28 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Bearcats, SVC took its first lead of the game when Maria Morgan drained a trey to start the fourth quarter. Ryan added a layup to push the advantage to 33-28. After Grove City split free throws, SVC added a layup from Benvenuti and a three by Ellis to make it 38-29.

Saint Vincent pushed the lead into double digits when Carroll knocked down a jumper and then a three-pointer, making it 45-31 Bearcats. After a three by the Wolverines, Carroll connected on her third three-pointer of the second half and effectively ended any comeback hopes for GCC.

Carroll and Weems both finished with 13 points, while Ellis just missed a double-double with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Benvenuti chipped in eight points, seven steals, four assists and four rebounds.

Saint Vincent shot 53.6 percent from the field in the second half, including making six of eight three-pointers (75 percent). Grove City committed 23 turnovers in the game. The win was the Bearcats seventh in the past nine games.

The win improves the Bearcats record to 15-12, while Grove City sits at 13-13 hoping for an ECAC Tournament bid. Saint Vincent advances to face top-ranked Thomas More in the PAC Semifinals Friday night at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Ky. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.