GREENVILLE, Pa. -- The Grove City College women's basketball team clinched the Presidents' Athletic Conference's North Division by earning a 76-49 win Saturday afternoon at Thiel in divisional action at Rissell-Beeghly Gymnasia. 

The win gives Grove City (17-8, 11-5) the North's top seed in next week's eight-team conference tournament. Grove City will host the South Division's fourth-place finisher, Chatham, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the quarterfinals.

Saturday, Grove City held a 35-30 halftime lead but blew open the game with a 21-1 run in the third quarter. Sophomore guard Kailey Devlin (Turbotville, Pa./Meadowbrook Christian) ignited the burst with consecutive layups while senior guard Reese Hasley (Cheswick, Pa./Deer Lakes) and freshman guard Kate Kline (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford) both scored in the paint. 

Layups from junior guards Alexa McDole (Evans City, Pa./Mars) and Sarah Pifer (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) sandwiched around a tip-in by junior forward Brooke McCoy (Irwin, Pa./Hempfield) put Grove City ahead 51-33. 

A three-pointer from senior center Meredith Sherrerd (New Braunfels, Texas/New Braunfels), layups from junior Bethany Thompson (Exeter Township, Pa./High Point Baptist) and sophomore forward Alexis Hudson (Watsontown, Pa./Warrior Run), and another Devlin deuce pushed the lead to 60-33. Grove City led 60-35 after three quarters.

Devlin led Grove City's balanced attack with 13 points. Pifer finished with 10 points while Hasley and Hudson both furnished nine points. Kline, McDole and Sherrerd all tossed in seven points. 

Grove City shot 34 of 89 (38 percent) from the field. Thiel finished 19 of 57 (33 percent). 

Sherred led Grove City with seven rebounds. Devlin and senior center Emma Ulmer (Milton, Pa./Northumberland Christian) both had six rebounds. Thiel held a 54-45 edge on the glass.

Grove City finished with a season-low six turnovers while Thiel had 26 turnovers. Those 26 turnovers led to 32 Grove City points. McDole and Pifer both had three steals. Hasley and Ulmer each had four assists. 

Grove City led 22-16 after one quarter. 

Caitlin Stephens led Thiel (6-19, 1-15) with a 17-point, 17-rebound double-double.

Tuesday's quarterfinal will be Grove City's second meeting this year with Chatham (17-7, 10-6). Chatham downed visiting Grove City during the regular season, 84-54, January 17. 

This is the first season of divisional play in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. The top four teams in each division will compete in next week's eight-team conference tournament.