Led by a game-high 19 points from junior Brooklynn Jones, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods held a narrow two-point lead at halftime before Point Park used a big third quarter surge enroute to a Pioneer 97-81 victory over the Pomeroys in the quarterfinals of the River States Conference Tournament inside Hamilton Arena.
 
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods wrapped up an impressive 18-11 season in the quarterfinals of the River States Conference Tournament – a league in which they finished with a record of 13-5 and the No. 3 seed as this week's event. Wednesday's game marked the first ever women's tournament home contest in program history. It was also the most wins a season for the program since the 2012-13 campaign.
 
For the Pomeroys, Brooklynn Jones led the way with 19 points on the strength of a 7-of-13 shooting performance. Allyson Hardiek collected 11 caroms to pace the Poms in the contest. SMWC hit 37.1 percent of their shots in the contest, but Point Park was able to counter with a 52.2 percent mark and connected on 12 shots from long range in earning the victory. Madison Fueger posted five steals and two blocked shots in the contest. Joining Jones in double figures scoring were Irye Gomez with 15 points while Fueger and Destiny Thomas tallied 13 each. Haley Polston scored six points as she connected on back-to-back 3-pointers late in the first half to help stretch an early SMWC advantage.
 
Ari Bleda opened the scoring for Point Park with a 3-pointer just 12 seconds in the contest before SMWC's Fueger connected on a turnaround jumper in the paint to trim their advantage down to just a point. PPU would use their backcourt defensive presence to stretch the lead out to six points (16-10) as time ticked down past the midpoint of the first quarter. A conventional 3-pointer play from Allyson Hardiek was followed by a bucket from Fueger as the Pomeroys drew within a point. Point Park continued to struggle with turnovers as the run stretched to eight points and SMWC took a lead with a trifecta from Gomez with 44 seconds on the clock as the first period ended with the Poms leading 18-16.
 
The two teams traded buckets for the first three minutes of the second stanza before Polston stepped out to the top of the key to drain a 3-pointer for a four-point advantage before she drilled another on the next trip down the floor for six quick points and a 28-23 SMWC advantage. Gomez would come off a screen at the top of the key with just over three minutes remaining before halftime to drill her second 3-pointer to stretch the cushion out to 35-27. PPU trimmed the lead down to just 39-37 as both teams went to the halftime locker room.
  
Jones led the way for SMWC at the half with 12 points.
 
After Point Park rallied to knot the game at 46 after the half, Gomez drained a long 3-pointer as the clock ticked towards the six-minute mark to stake the Pomeroys to a 49-46 lead. Fueger then grabbed a steal and went full court on passes to Gomez and then Thomas who converted a 3-point play with 6:07 remaining as
SMWC led 54-48. But the Pioneers would battle back to take a 13-point lead late in the third quarter as they scored 23 of the game's next 27 points and led 71-58 in the waning moments of the period. SMWC's Kylee Stepp was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1.7 seconds remaining and converted 2-of-3 at the charity stripe as the Poms trailed 71-60 heading into the final period.
 
SMWC whittled the Point Park lead down to just nine points with over three minutes remaining before Gillian Piccolino buried a 3-pointer to put the contest out of reach.
 
Point Park was led offensively by Piccolino with 25 points as well Aichata Ballo who scored 24.