PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Chatham Women's Basketball (17-7, 10-6 PAC) was defeated 56-52 on Saturday afternoon by Saint Vincent (19-6, 14-2) after honoring the 2026 senior class pre-game.
Olivia Yancy was the Bearcats' top scorer with 14 points and 3 assists. Emerson Peffer contributed 12 points and 5 boards off the bench. Camdon Bashor had 8 points and 6 rebounds, and Danielle Pontius dished out a game-high 6 assists for Saint Vincent.
Senior
Maria Barela scored 16 points with 4 assists for the Cougars. Senior
Alyssa Laukus also had 16 points and shot 4-8 with 3 steals. Senior
Hannah Chenault tallied 5 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, and senior
Julia Calvin recorded 6 points, 4 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks for Chatham.
The Bearcats scored the first 6 points of the game on back-to-back three-point baskets. They would also lead 10-4, but buckets in the final minute of the quarter from
Emily Venick and
Hannah Stephanites cut the Cougars' deficit to 2. Halfway through quarter two, Saint Vincent led 18-13, but Laukus and Barela each scored 4 points in a 13-4 Chatham run for the rest of the half.
The Bearcats came back to tie the score at 32 in the first four minutes of quarter three. However, the Cougars found their rhythm on offense immediately after that, and Laukus contributed 8 points to a 10-0 Chatham scoring run. With Barela connecting on a three-point basket and Laukus hitting a couple of free throws, the Cougars pulled ahead by a 52-44 margin with six minutes to play. That's when the Cougars offense stalled, and Saint Vincent closed the game on a 12-0 run, taking the lead with just over a minute remaining and clinching a 4-point victory.
Chatham shot 34.8 percent for the game (16-46) but was 1-13 from the field in the fourth quarter. Its 88.2 percent (15-17) free throw percentage was its highest of the season (min. 11 attempts). The Bearcats were 20-51 from the field (39.2 percent) and shot 55 percent (11-20) in the second half. They knocked down 9 of their 10 free throw attempts in the game.
Women's Basketball secured the #4 seed in the PAC South. They will travel to the #1 seed in the North, Grove City, for a PAC Quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
