BENNINGTON, Vt. - The Southern Vermont College women's basketball team showed its poise on Saturday against visiting Bay Path, absorbing the Wildcats' best attempt at a counterpunch in-between a dominant start and finish that added up to a 71-49 victory for the home team.
SVC (5-10 overall, 3-3 New England Collegiate Conference) built a double-digit lead midway through the first half, only to see Bay Path roar back to take a one-point edge, 29-28, at the half.
Their last win showed that the Mountaineers have the tools to win. This one proved they're not afraid to use them when it really counts.
Whereas Mountaineer squads of the past may have packed it in after such a stretch, this year's squad responded with a crushing 12-1 run to retake the lead, then out-scored its visitors 26-14 over the final 9:21 of the game to lock up the W.
"I was really proud of the members of this team tonight," SVC head coach Ben Kozik said. "Despite being down by a point at halftime, they came together as a team in the second half and it showed on the scoreboard."
SVC was led by freshman guard Joa Claircius, who poured in a game-high 25 points while adding five assists and four steals. Teammates Alyssa Davis (17 points, 3-of-6 from three-point range), Kayla Whitman (12 points, six steals) and Markeisha Mullen (16 rebounds, six assists, three blocks) all contributed significantly to help SVC mount a modest conference winning streak.
The Mountaineers took command off the opening tip and gradually built their lead, which reached double digits on a Claircius steal and fast-break layup that made it 18-8 with 9:58 left in the first half. But the Wildcats (3-12, 1-5) accounted for 21 of the 31 total points scored over the remainder of the frame, finally taking the lead on a free throw by Jessica Hunt (23 points, 28 rebounds).
Bay Path took its last lead, at 32-31, on a jumper by Kellie Lastowski with 17:51 remaining in the game. SVC then leapt out onto its decisive run - keyed by a steal each by Mullen, Claircius and Whitman, all within a span of 30 seconds - to take a 43-33 lead with 11:11 left on the clock. From there, it was all Mountaineers.
The SVC women return to the court on Tuesday, when they defend their Field House against visiting Daniel Webster at 7 p.m.