Bearcats reach century mark in victory over Westminster

More news about: St. Vincent

The SVC women's basketball team improved to 10-1 with a dominating performance over Westminster, 100-57 in Presidents' Athletic Conference play.  

The Bearcats got off to a quick start, as Taylor Mathers sent the opening tip into the hands of Mara Benvenuti, who passed to Ally Schmidt for a basket just 4 seconds into the game.
 
Benvenuti and Schmidt teamed again at the 16 minute mark, this time with Schmidt setting up Benvenuti for a score that made it 8-6.  After a Jill Kegg free throw, Schmidt scored on a jumper that put SVC in front 11-6. 
 
Up 13-11 at the 13:00 mark, SVC got back-to-back three pointers from Jessica Welch and Jasmine Weems that ran the lead to eight, 19-11.  A layup by Mathers was then followed by a steal from Welch, who passed to Weems for a bucket that extended the run, making the score 23-11.  A pair of Titan free throws at the 8:51 mark ended the Bearcats' 12-point run, but SVC quickly added 8 more points, with a Drew Meeker score followed by six consecutive points from Mathers that made the score 33-13.
 
Later in the half, Welch and Weems again connected on back-to-back shots from outside the arc, making it a 48-17 lead for SVC. 
 
A three by Meeker ended the half, with the Bearcats in front 55-20.
 
Mathers tallied 17 first half points in just 13 minutes, while Weems had 10 points and 5 rebounds. 
 
The Bearcats continued to pour it on in the second half, going on an 8-2 run to start the period.  Near the midway point, Welch hit consecutive threes to make it an 82-34 game. 
 
With just over 8 minutes remaining, Susie Ellis and Maggie Kimmich both scored from outside the arc, running the lead over 50 points, 92-39.  A free throw by Maya Lee with 45 seconds remaining put the Bearcats at the century mark, and SVC went on to the 43-point victory.

Mathers led all scorers with 23 points in just 18 minutes of action, shooting 10-13 from the floor.  Welch added 14 points in 15 minutes, hitting 4-5 from outside the arc and adding a pair of free throws.  Weems tallied 12 points.  Mathers had a team-high six rebounds, while Weems, Babette Sanmartin and Shalia Williams grabbed 5 each.  Schmidt had 5 assists.  

The Bearcats are now 10-1 overall, 4-0 in the PAC.  The team will host Waynesburg University on Wednesday, January 7 at 5:30PM in the Carey Center.