BEREA, Ohio (Nov. 15) - The Saint Vincent women's basketball team could not hold a double-digit halftime lead, falling 69-62 to a strong Baldwin Wallace University team at Upsprung Gymnasium in Ohio.
Sophomore guard Kayla Slovenec got the Bearcats off to a fast start with the first six points of the game. After a B-W jumper at the 6:24 mark of the first quarter, Slovenec added a layup in the lane to make it 8-2 SVC at the 5:28 mark. After a basket by the Yellow Jackets, senior Babette Sanmartin tacked on three straight points to make it 11-4.
Baskets by freshman Erin Giancola and Slovenec early in the second quarter made the lead 15-10 in favor of the Bearcats. After B-W split a pair of free throws at the line, sophomore guard Taylor Boring buried a wide open three and Giancola added a jumper off a pass from Boring to make it 20-11 with 7:03 to play in the second quarter.
Leading 23-17 with 6:30 remaining in the half, SVC used six straight points, including a three-pointer by junior Maria Morgan to push the lead into double digits at 29-17. A little later, junior Katie Ryan converted back-to-back baskets to make it 35-22 with three minutes to play before halftime. Freshman guard Jenna Lafko drained two free throws just before half to give SVC a 37-22 advantage after 20 minutes.
The Bearcats shot 43.8 percent (14-of-32) from the field in the first half, while B-W made just 28.6 percent of its field attempts. The host Yellow Jackets went 0-for-11 behind the three-point line during the first half. Slovenec led all scorers with 12 points (6-8 FG) and four rebounds at halftime.
The second half was a completely different game. SVC was able to hold onto its lead the entire third quarter but saw it all but evaporate entering the fourth quarter. Holding a 47-40 lead late in the third, B-W finished the quarter with five straight points to trim their deficit to just 47-45 entering the final 10 minutes.
On the initial possession of the fourth, the Yellow Jackets drained a three-pointer to take a 48-47 advantage, their first lead of the game. Boring would quickly counter with a three to make it 50-48 SVC. However, a 6-0 run would give B-W the lead for good. Saint Vincent would stay in the game for its entirety, closing to within two points (64-62) after a pair of free throws by Mara Benvenuti with 2:00 to play. However, B-W would score the final five points to wrap up the win.
A big part of the Yellow Jackets second half comeback was three-point shooting. After going 0-for-11 in the first half, B-W connected on 6-of-10 treys in the second half of play. B-W also did a better job of taking care of the ball. After committing 11 turnovers in the first quarter, the hosts only turned it over nine times over the final 30 minutes.
Slovenec led all scorers with a career-high 16 points, converting on 8-of-11 field goal attempts. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native also led the Bearcats with six rebounds and four steals in the loss. Morgan tallied 10 points, while Boring added nine points (all off of made three pointers). Ryan and Kiara Arnold added five rebounds each off the bench.
Saint Vincent returns to action when they open Presidents' Athletic Conference play at Chatham on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.