LATROBE, Pa. – The Saint Vincent College women’s basketball team outscored Chatham University, 45-22 in the second half, and rolled to a 68-52 victory to win the 2023 Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship.
Emily Cavacini led the Bearcats offense with 22 points, 14 in the second half and earning PAC Championship Tournament MVP.
A pair of District 9 grads recorded double-doubles to help fuel the Bearcats in the victory.
Ella Marconi, a Kane grad, had 12 points and 10 rebounds while Madison Weber, a Curwensville, tallied 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
“It was an overall great feeling,” Weber said. “We weren’t quite at the tempo we wanted and we talked about that at halftime. We knew we had to come out and compete to get back in it and that just fueled us into our run.”
“I had all the confidence in the world that our team was going to pull through,” Marconi said. “And that’s exactly what happened. We stayed calm and played like we knew how to.”
Weber’s game-high 15 rebounds was a huge help in the win as the Bearcats outrebounded the Cougars, 51-33.
“We are huge on being aggressive on the boards,” Weber said. “These past few games, I knew that to win it would just be one more thing to help us get there so I just put more focus and energy into it.”
Trailing by seven at the half (30-23), the Bearcats chipped away at the deficit and used a late 14-4 run following the media timeout to take a 44-42 lead into the final quarter.
“We switched up our offense and defense at the half,” Marconi said. “But ultimately we just stayed determined. We knew our shots would start falling and we knew we had to pressure them in transition, so that’s what we did.”
The Bearcats continued the momentum into the fourth and outscored the Cougars, 24-10.
Free throws were a big factor in sealing the game for the Bearcats as Cavanchi went 6-for-6 at the foul line while the team shot 16-for-17 in the second half and 20-for-21 for the game.
The victory marks the second PAC Championships in the last three years as the Bearcats won it in 2021.
“It means the world to my fellow seniors and I to bring home a PAC championship win,” Marconi said. “I hope this experience drives the underclassmen to stay persistent and driven and gives them a taste of what victory is like so they can bring home more titles.”
The Bearcats also qualify for the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time since 2019.
“I feel like it’s just a great example of the good things that happen when you trust in the process,” Weber said. “To have everything we’ve worked so hard for, as a team and individuals, pay off in this way, really means the world.”
