W&J Upended By Saint Vincent In PAC Women’s Hoops Action
LATROBE, Pa. – Saint Vincent held off a Washington & Jefferson second-half rally and pulled away late for a 72-59 victory in Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon from the Carey Center.
The Presidents (7-6, 2-4 PAC) saw their season-long, four-game winning streak came to an end, while the Bearcats upped their record to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in PAC play.
W&J took an early three-point lead, but Saint Vincent responded with a 17-2 run and eventually built an 18-point advantage.
Trailing 33-17, the Presidents strung together a 13-0 spurt to close the gap to three points just before halftime. Senior point guard Vanessa Rivera (Reading, Pa./Wilson) scored seven points during the surge.
A steal by Rivera and lay-up on the ensuing possession gave W&J a 51-50 lead with 11:17 remaining. The teams traded leads until Devin McGrath put SVC ahead 54-53. The Bearcats then reeled off 13 of the game’s next 15 points to halt the Presidents’ momentum.
Junior guard Emily Abraham (Canfield, Ohio/Boardman) paced the Presidents with 15 points after connecting on 4-of-8 shots from beyond the arc. Rivera added 10 points, five steals and five assists, while senior Ashley Kirkpatrick (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) contributed 11 points.
2011 PAC Player of the Year Brittany Sedlock led the Bearcats with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Sedlock connected on 12-of-13 free throw attempts. McGrath added 16 points and eight boards. Saint Vincent shot 39 percent (23-59) from the field, while limiting W&J to 31 percent (18-58) shooting.
The Presidents return to the hardwood on Wednesday night at Grove City (6:00 pm).
