WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 31) – Mara Benvenuti recorded 18 points and Saint Vincent survived a second half rally attempt to down Waynesburg University 71-68 in Presidents' Athletic Conference play at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
With the victory, Saint Vincent extends its winning streak to four games. The Bearcats improved to 13-7 overall and 10-3 in PAC play. Waynesburg drops to 11-9 overall and 7-6 in league games.
Waynesburg held early leads of 4-0 and 6-2 before Saint Vincent shook off a slow start offensively. Back-to-back baskets by Benvenuti and Paige Montrose helped SVC tie the score at 6-6 with 5:43 left in the first quarter.
After the teams exchanged successful three pointers, Saint Vincent took its first lead when Taylor Boringdrained a trey to make it 12-11 Bearcats at the 2:10 mark of the first. On the Bearcats' next possession, Benvenuti converted a three of her own to make it 15-11. A layup by Jenna Lafko off a steal from Maria Morgan extended the lead to 17-13 at the end of the first quarter.
After a layup by Addy Knetzer brought Waynesburg back within one score (21-19), Saint Vincent responded with an 11-0 run to take a 32-19 lead midway through the second quarter. Boring started the run with another three before Benvenuti tacked on two layups. Waynesburg would answer, scoring five of the next six points to close the deficit back to single digits at 33-24 with 4:10 left in the half.
Powered by two layups from Kayla Slovenec, Saint Vincent closed the half with seven straight points, taking a 40-24 halftime lead. A big part of the first half was the Saint Vincent defense, which forced Waynesburg to commit 17 turnovers over the first 20 minutes.
Waynesburg outscored Saint Vincent by a 20-8 in the third quarter to close the deficit to 48-44 heading to the fourth. Knetzer scored 14 points alone in the quarter to power the Yellow Jackets back into the game.
Benvenuti started the fourth quarter with a triple to make it 51-44 and give Saint Vincent some breathing room. A steal and layup by Carlee Kilgus pushed the lead back to nine (55-46) at the 8:21 mark. Waynesburg refused to go away, countering with an 8-2 run to trim the deficit to 57-54 with 5:06 left.
Saint Vincent used a 9-2 run, capped by a Slovenec layup, to extend the lead back into double figures at 66-56 with 2:34 to play.
Mackenna Drazich nearly brought Waynesburg all the way back, converting a pair of threes and totaling eight points in the final minute. Her last three cut the Bearcats' lead to 70-68 with just 24 seconds left. Morgan would split a pair of free throws to make it 71-68. Drazich would have one last chance to help Waynesburg tie the contest and force overtime. However, she was stripped of the ball and Saint Vincent survived the comeback.
Slovenec added 11 points, while Morgan recorded nine points and four steals in the victory. Erin Giancola led the Bearcats on the glass with six rebounds. Knetzer finished with a season-high 30 points and added nine rebounds. For the game, Saint Vincent forced Waynesburg to commit 29 turnovers.
Saint Vincent travels to Grove City for another conference clash on Saturday, Feb. 3. The Bearcats will try to avenge a 60-49 home loss to the Wolverines in early January. The Bearcats and Wolverines will tip-off at 1 p.m. at the College Arena in Mercer County.