SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — Brescia (Ky.) used a strong first half to build separation and held off a late push from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College for a 60–48 River States Conference victory Tuesday night inside the Knoerle Center.

The Bearcats jumped out to a 23–11 advantage after the opening quarter and extended the lead to 40–20 at halftime. Brescia limited SMWC to 20 first-half points while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor in the opening period.

SMWC showed resilience after the break, outscoring Brescia 12–6 in the third quarter and 16–14 in the fourth, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.

Abigail Parker led the Pomeroys with 17 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Jonnaya Harris added 10 points, seven assists and four steals, while Talyssa Moody chipped in eight points off the bench.

SMWC finished the night shooting 35.8 percent from the field and was limited to five free throws made. Brescia held a 51–25 rebounding advantage and scored 22 bench points to help maintain control throughout the contest.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods drops to 0–11 overall and 0–1 in conference play. The Pomeroys will step out of conference for their next matchup, traveling to Lourdes (Ohio) on Friday, Dec. 19, for a 3 p.m. (ET) tipoff.