WASHINGTON, Pa. (Jan. 25) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team dropped a tough 75-73 road decision to Washington & Jefferson College at the Henry Memorial Center.
Freshman Paige Montrose poured in a career-high 16 points and pulled down a career-best seven rebounds in the loss. Jasmine Weems added 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Hannah Carroll also chipped in 10 points to round out the trio of double-digit scorers for SVC.
Danielle Parker posted a double-double for W&J, totaling 26 points and 11 rebounds to give the hosts the victory.
After the two teams were tied at 4-4 early on, W&J used back-to-back baskets to take an 8-4 lead at the 5:48 mark of the first. W&J would continue to hold the lead the entire first quarter, eventually building an eight-point lead (18-10) with 1:51 left in the opening quarter.
Freshman guard Kayla Slovenec helped the Bearcats close back within striking distance, converting an old fashioned three-point play and a conventional three from behind the arc, cutting the deficit to 20-17 with 1:01 left in the first. W&J would close on a 4-2 run to take a 24-19 edge after 10 minutes.
Saint Vincent opened the second quarter with a 10-4 run to take their first lead of the game. The run was capped by a three-pointer from Weems, giving the Bearcats a 29-28 edge at the 3:52 mark.
After the teams exchanged points to make it 31-30, senior Susie Ellis sparked another Bearcat run to help build upon the lead. After a Montrose layup, Ellis hit back-to-back three-pointers, pushing the Bearcats' advantage to 39-32 with 1:28 to play in the half. W&J sunk a three of its own in their final possession of the half, closing the score to 39-35 after 20 minutes.
Both teams shot the basketball well in the first half. The host Presidents converted on 50 percent of its first half field goals, while SVC connected on 45.2 percent from the field. The advantage came from behind the arc, as SVC hit on 4-of-8 threes while W&J was just 1-of-7. The Bearcats bench outscored W&J 18-9 in the first half.
W&J would score the first seven points of the second half, regaining the lead at 42-39 with 8:18 left in the third quarter. That is when the Bearcats responded in a big way, countering back with 11 straight points. Leading the way was Montrose, who scored six points during the run that helped put SVC up 50-42 with 5:34 left in the third.
The quarter was one of runs, as the Presidents used a 9-1 run to tie the game at 51-51 with 3:20 remaining in the third. Saint Vincent was shut out from the field in the remainder of the quarter, only scoring by converting three-of-four free throws. W&J would then close the half with five straight points to take a 58-54 lead over the final 1:15.
After W&J converted an offensive rebound into a three-point play to start the fourth, SVC would use a 9-2 run to take tie the game at 63-63 with 7:26 left.
After the teams exchanged three-point baskets, W&J used back-to-back jumpers to take a 70-66 lead with 4:04 to play. SVC would regain the lead when Weems made two free throws and Carroll knocked down a three pointer to give SVC a 73-72 edge with 2:00 left.
W&J would respond back with a layup with 1:41 left and added two free throws. Meanwhile, Saint Vincent was held off the scoreboard for the final two minutes.
W&J shot 51.7 percent from the field in the win. Meanwhile, after a strong shooting half in the first (45.2 percent), SVC shot just 29.6 percent from the field in the second half. The Bearcats did a good job at three free throw line, converting 22 of 30 attempts (73.3 percent). W&J outscored SVC by a 42-18 margin in the paint.
Aside from the double-digit scorers, SVC also had three players fall just short of double digits. Ellis added 9 points and a team-best five assists, while Babette Sanmartin and Sloevenec each chipped in eight points.
The loss drops the Bearcats to 10-8 overall and 7-4 PAC. W&J moves to 11-7 overall and 8-3 in PAC play.
Saint Vincent plays its third straight road game, traveling to Geneva on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.