BENNINGTON, Vt.- Any time you force 30 turnovers during a basketball game, it is cause for optimism. Unless you yourself cough the ball up 31 times, as the Southern Vermont College women did in their 64-44 loss to visiting Wheelock on Saturday.

The Mountaineers (2-7) were also ice-cold from three-point range, connecting on only one of 17 attempts from beyond the arc. The game marked the opening of New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action for both teams, and saw the Wildcats (1-8) pick up their first win of the season.

"You can't shoot 1-for-17 from three-point range - and commit 31 turnovers - and expect to win a ball game," SVC head coach Ben Kozik said. "We're frustrated, because we knew this was a winnable game for us."

Team scoring leader Joa Claircius once again paced the Mountaineers with 17 points (along with five rebounds and four steals), but also committed 11 turnovers and missed eight of her 12 field goals attempts - including several in which she succeeded in beating one or more defenders only to brick high-percentage shots from close range.

"I can't keep battling all the way to the hoop and not finishing," Claircius said. "This was a game where we gave (the Wildcats) confidence by not putting them away early on. We have a tendency to play to other teams' levels, and it killed us tonight."

Fellow freshman guard Kayla Whitman had a hot-and-cold debut with SVC, scoring 14 points but turning the ball over a dozen times. Teammate Tiarra Hall added eight points and 10 rebounds, while Kiara Bates ripped down a game-high 16 rebounds - but went scoreless after an 0-for-6 game from the field. Mountaineer Kristen Cummings (0-for-8 FGs, including 0-for-7 from three-point range) also struggled mightily with her shot.

"I thought our shot selection, especially in the first half, was fantastic," Kozik said. "We had open looks, but we just couldn't knock them down. I told the girls that when you're 0-for-8, you have to just keep shooting, or else your confidence is never going to get built up."

Sarah Brown led the Wildcats with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc. Brown cited her team's ramped up defensive effort as helping to kick-start the offense and deliver Wheelock its first win.

"We worked hard on pressuring (SVC's) ballhandlers, and picking up our rebounding," Brown said. "And my teammates did a great job of getting me the ball for open looks from the outside."

SVC was in command for the first 4:58 of the game, until Wheelock's Sharrell Brown connected on a three-pointer to give the Wildacts their first edge at 8-6. The Mountaineers then jumped back in front and led for the majority of the first half, yet held only a single-possession edge - at 21-19 - heading into halftime.

"Only having a two-point lead at the half made them think they could come back on us," Claircius said. "We should have been ahead by a lot more."

The Mountaineers still held a slim 33-32 lead with 14:30 remaining in the game, until the Wildcats mounted a 16-5 run over the next 4:38 to take their first double-digit lead at 48-38. SVC was then forced into lower-percentage shots in a desperate bid to come back, and Wheelock coasted to victory.

Kozik insisted afterward that his team's performance wasn't indicative of its potential, and that the impending Feb. 19 rematch between the two teams should tell a better story about how they stack up.

"We're looking forward to playing (the Wildcats) again," Kozik said. "When the real SVC shows up, they had better be ready."