CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (Feb. 23) - W&J overcame a late deficit to stun the Saint Vincent women's basketball team by a 63-62 score in overtime of the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals at the Connor Convocation Center on the campus of Thomas More College.
In a rematch of last year's PAC Tournament semifinals between two teams that split during this regular season, this year's PAC Semifinals contest lived up to the billing.
Trailing 53-40 with just 7:37 to play in the fourth quarter, that is when Saint Vincent made its run. A jumper by Paige Montrose cut the deficit to 53-43 with 6:17 to play. The Bearcats continued to use strong defensive play, getting stop after stop as they crept ever so closer. A pair of free throws by Babette Sanmartin followed by a jumper from Montrose made it 53-47 W&J with 5:34 to play in regulation.
After two minutes of scoreless play, Mara Benvenuti drained a three-pointer to bring the Bearcats within a basket at 53-50 at the 3:21 mark. A free throw by Maria Morgan and then a layup by Benvenuti tied the game at 53-53 with 1:19 to play. Both teams were held scoreless for the final few possessions and the teams headed to overtime. The Bearcats used a 13-0 run over the final seven-plus minutes to force the overtime session.
Saint Vincent continued the run in overtime, as Morgan buried a three to give SVC a 56-53 advantage, the first lead for SVC since it was 31-29 early in the third quarter. After a W&J layup closed the gap to one point, SVC responded with five more straight points to build a 61-55 lead with just 1:29 to play in the extra session.
However, Saint Vincent left the door open for W&J with several missed free throws. A layup by Danielle Parker cut the SVC lead to 62-61 with . After a pair of free throw misses by Saint Vincent, Amirah Moore raced the other way and used a layup with four seconds left to give the Presidents a 63-62 advantage. Moore missed a free throw to give SVC one last chance but the Bearcats could not get a potential game-winning shot off, dropping a heartbreaker in overtime.
Both teams traded baskets throughout a back and forth first half. After a layup by Parker gave W&J an early 2-0 lead, SVC struck back with six straight points, including four points by Morgan.
Trailing by a 6-2 score, W&J countered back with a 9-0 run to take an 11-6 advantage with 4:45 remaining in the first quarter. Parker and Lauren Gilbert combined for the nine W&J points during the run.
Benvenuti sparked the Bearcats with defense, stealing the ball and eventually leading Kiara Arnold to a fastbreak layup. After Arnold missed the ensuing free throw, Benvenuti grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a layup to make it a four-point possession for SVC.
Arnold would tack on another free throw before Taylor Boring drained a three-pointer to give the Bearcats a 14-11 lead with 1:24 left in the first. A late layup by Sanmartin gave the Bearcats a 16-14 lead after the first quarter.
A layup by Arnold to commence the second quarter gave SVC an 18-14 advantage. However, W&J rattled off nine straight points to take a 23-18 edge with 6:44 to play in the half.
A free throw by Carlee Kilgus followed by jumpers by Benvenuti and Montrose tied the game at 23-23 with 3:44 left in the half. W&J regained the lead momentarily with a basket by Parker. However, Kayla Slovenec scored the next five points to help SVC take a 28-27 lead into halftime.
The teams continued to trade scores. After a layup by Sanmartin cut the SVC deficit to 36-35 with 5:47 to play in the third, W&J then used a 17-6 run into the fourth quarter to seize control with a 53-40 lead. That is when the Bearcats used strong defense and will to comeback and force the overtime session.
Montrose led SVC with a team-best 13 points, while Benvenuti added 12 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks in the loss. Sanmartin finished just shy of a double-double, totaling nine points and 10 rebounds. Parker led W&J with a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds while playing all 45 minutes.
As a team, Saint Vincent shot a very solid 44.9 percent from the field. W&J converted at a 40.9 clip from the field. The Bearcats struggled at the free throw line, converting just 13 of 26 shots at the charity stripe. Both teams committed 24 turnovers in the contest.
Saint Vincent drops to 18-9 overall. The Bearcats will await word of a possible ECAC Tournament berth next week. The win improves W&J to 22-4 overall and advances the Presidents to tomorrow's PAC Championship game against the winner of Thomas More and Grove City.