Saint Mary-of-the-Woods' positives outweighed the negatives Tuesday against Brescia. Barely.
The Pomeroys' womens' basketball team saw its lead peak at 22 points, 53-31, with 7:21 remaining. By the 2:25 mark of the fourth quarter, Brescia pulled within three, 55-52, after a layup by Paige Vanzant. 
After picking up her fourth foul in the third quarter, Avalee Jeffers (Cory, Ind./Clay City) came up big in the final two minutes, hitting two free throws and a key layup. And Abby Worley (Greenfield, Ind./Mount Vernon) hit four free throws in the final minute to keep the Bearcats at bay. 
SMWC held on for a 63-56 victory, improving to 8-3 overall and 2-3 in the River States Conference. 
Jeffers finished with game-highs of 17 points, nine rebounds and three steals. 
The Pomeroys also got solid bench production, with the second unit helping to build off a modest double-digit lead. 
Savvanah Frye (Greenwood, Ind./Greenwood Christian Academy) had 10 points, leading SMWC's strong free-throw shooting performance (30 for 38) by going 8 for 8 at the charity stripe. After drawing a foul and taking advantage of a technical foul on the Brescia bench, Frye hit four consecutive free throws to turn a 44-29 lead into a 48-29 lead at the 9:34 mark of the fourth quarter. 
Haley Polston (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville) chipped in nine points and four rebounds. 
Kat Perry (New Castle, Ind./Shenandoah) who had a pair of nice assists early in the fourth quarter, connected on a 3-pointer on the left wing that gave the Pomeroys the 22-point lead at the 7:21 mark. 
The Pomeroys' defense had 12 steals on the night, with Worley, Abbi Parker (Tipton, Ind./Tipton), Brooklynn Jones (Loogootee, Ind./Loogootee) and Perry chipping in two steals apiece. 
The Pomeroys overcame 31 turnovers on the night with a solid defensive outing, holding Brescia to 32.8 percent shooting on the night. SMWC won the battle on the glass 49-36. Allyson Hardiek (Altamont, Ill/Altamont), Jones and Madison White (Nashville, Ind./Columbus North) had six rebounds apiece. 
SMWC returns to action Wednesday at Cincinnati-Clermont for a 3 p.m. tip-off.