Showcasing a stifling defense and strong rebounding, the Lady Bearcats coasted to an 84-61 win over Thiel College at the Carey Center.

Saint Vincent junior Janelle Reed led all scorers with 32 points, while teammate Laura Klimchock added 18.  The Lady Bearcat defense forced 31 turnovers and picked up 19 steals, while SVC also had its best performance of the season on the glass, out-rebounding the Tomcats 46-38.

Thiel started hot, scoring the game's first six points.  SVC then regrouped, with a three from Reed giving the Lady Bearcats their first lead of the night, 12-10, with 13:10 left in the first half.

The game then went back-and-forth, with three ties and four lead changes over the next three minutes, until the Lady Bearcats seized control.

SVC went on a 10-0 run in a three-minute span, capped off with a Lauren Reilly bucket at the 7:13 mark, to go up 24-16.  Thiel brought it to within three, 24-21, but SVC then outscored the Tomcats 15-6 over the final four minutes of the half, taking a 39-27 advantage into halftime.

After the intermission, the Lady Bearcats picked up right where they left off, embarking on a 12-2 run, capped off by a Kathy Bianco bucket, to go up by 20, 58-38, with 10 minutes remaining.  Five minutes later, SVC enjoyed its largest lead of the night, 74-49, when Reed hit her third three-pointer of the night.  The teams then shared buckets the remainder of the way, and SVC coasted to the big 23-point win.

Ashley Campbell enjoyed a solid all-around night for the Lady Bearcats, dishing five assists, picking up four steals, and grabbing seven rebounds, sharing the team lead with Maria Baroffio and Reilly.

The Tomcats were led by Kim Stitt's 17 points and Amber Bodrick's 13. 

With the win, SVC improves to 4-9 on the season, and will return to action on Wednesday night, hosting Washington & Jefferson College at 6pm at the Carey Center.

PHOTO (By Jordan Bishop): Maria Baroffio drives to the hoop in the second half of SVC's 84-61 win over Thiel