LATROBE, Pa. – Despite jumping out to a six-point first half lead the Thiel College women's basketball squad suffered an 88-74 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) loss to 23rd-ranked Saint Vincent College Saturday afternoon in Latrobe. Kelly Muffley (Salsburg, Pa., Western Reserve Academy) registered career highs in both points (28) and rebounds (11) for the Tomcats.

As a team the Tomcats (3-14, 2-7) finished with season highs in field goal percentage (52.5%), field goals made (31), and points scored (74). Kelly Barzak (Warren, Ohio, Howland) added 19 points and 11 rebounds and Rianne Thornton (Trotwood, Ohio, Trotwood-Madison) chipped in with 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Devin McGrath led five Bearcats (15-2, 8-1) in double figures, finishing with 27 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Brittany Sedlock had 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Maria Barroffio posted 13 points and five rebounds. Caty Kumar and Emily Fenton finished with 11 and 10, respectively.

Jasmin Jones' (Pittsburgh, Pa., Wilkinsburg) bucket at the 16:55 mark of the opening half gave the Tomcats an 8-2 advantage. Thornton's layup with 6:36 remaining stretched Thiel's lead back to four, 26-22, before the Bearcats used an 11-2 run, capped by a Fenton three-pointer with 3:54 to go, to take a 33-28 lead. Ashley Davis (Cleveland, Ohio, St. Peter Chanel) put Thiel back in front 39-36 with 47 seconds to go in the first, but a Kumar three-pointer with just four seconds to play tied the game at 39-39 going into the break.

Muffley's layup with 12:20 to play in the second pushed the Tomcat lead to five, 59-54. McGrath's three with 10:19 remaining gave the Bearcats a 60-59 lead, and following a Barzak jumper at the 5:47 mark that brought the visitors back to within five, 72-67, Saint Vincent put together a 14-3 run that saw the home team's lead extend to 16, 86-70, with just under three minutes to play.

Thiel will visit Geneva College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in non-conference action.