CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (Jan. 17) – The Saint Vincent women's basketball team suffered an 86-61 setback to #5 Thomas More in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at the Connor Convocation Center in Kentucky.
Saint Vincent put together a strong effort over the first three quarters, trailing 64-54 early in the fourth. However, a large Thomas More run in the fourth quarter helped the Saints finish off the conference victory.
Thomas More started strong offensively, getting out to early leads of 5-0 and then 10-4. Back to back successful jumpers by Paige Montrose brought the Bearcats deficit to 10-8 with 7:22 to play in the first quarter.
The Saints offense would use a 13-0 run to take control, pushing the lead up to 23-8 at the 3:14 mark. Back to back jumpers by Jenna Lafko and Erin Giancola would bring SVC with 23-12 with 2:37 to play in the quarter.
After a Thomas More basket, the Bearcats closed the first half with six straight points to make it 25-18 after 10 minutes. SVC got a basket each from Kiara Arnold, Kayla Slovenec and Carlee Kilgus during the run.
An early run in the second quarter helped Thomas More push its advantage to 40-23 with 5:29 left. A little later a three pointer from Kelly Clapper made it 43-24 at the 4:07 mark of the second. Like they did in the first quarter, SVC closed the quarter strong, using a 7-0 run to pull within 43-31 at halftime. Mara Benvenuticonverted three free throws and got baskets from Maria Morgan and Montrose.
Thomas More held a double-digit lead for the entire third quarter but again saw SVC end the third quarter with an 8-0 run, which was capped by back-to-back baskets by Slovenec. Early in the fourth quarter, Taylor Boringconnected on a long distance three-pointer to cut the Saints lead to 64-54 with 8:36 to play.
However, Thomas More responded with an 18-0 run over the next seven minutes to end any chances of a comeback for the Bearcats. Benvenuti finally ended the drought with an offensive layup and putback with 1:40 to play. Thomas More outscored SVC by a 27-14 margin in the final quarter.
The victory was the 104th straight win for Thomas More against PAC opponents. It was the Bearcats who handed the Saints their last loss to a PAC opponent back in 2012.
Montrose and Boring both finished in double figures, tallying 13 and 12 points, respectively. Slovenec added eight points and five rebounds, while Benvenuti tallied seven points and five boards.
Nikki Kiernan poured in a game-high 22 points and added eight rebounds to lead Thomas More. Abby Owings added 20 points, seven assists and three steals for the victors.
Saint Vincent falls to 6-3 in PAC play and 9-7 overall. Thomas More improves to 15-1 overall and 9-0 in league play.
The Bearcats return to host Chatham University in the Carey Center on Saturday, Jan. 20.