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A coast-to-coast drive and score by Tauvon Pettiford with 4.8 seconds left on the clock proved to be the game-winning shot, as Saint Vincent upset Thiel College by a score of 56-55 at the Carey Center.

Thiel came into the game with a perfect 7-0 record in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, including a 20-point win over SVC on December 1, but the Bearcats came out strong to open the game.  A pair of three-pointers by Denny Bassich gave the hosts an early 8-2 lead.  Later, after Thiel had closed the gap, BJ McGill hit a three-pointer to put the Bearcats ahead by nine, 16-7.

A run by the Tomcats cut the SVC lead to just three, 17-14 near the midway point of the first half, but Saint Vincent continued to play well, opening the lead back to six points, 29-23, after a Grant Latus score with 3:25 remaining in the first half.

However, Thiel scored the final five points of the half, and Saint Vincent's lead was just one, 29-28, at the break.

Saint Vincent continued to cling to a short lead early in the second half, but Thiel eventually tied the game at 36 with 13:49 to go.  Four points by Latus helped build the lead back to five, 42-37 at the 12:03 mark, but less than three minutes later, the visitors took the lead on a pair of free throws that made the score 45-44.

Another score by Latus put SVC ahead 46-45, and a free throw from Armani Fountain extended the lead to two, but Thiel once again tied the game at the 7:53 mark.  Scores by Pettiford and BJ McGill gave Saint Vincent a 51-47 advantage with six minutes left, but Thiel then scored the next four points to once again tie the game.

With 2:06 left, another pair of shots from the charity stripe by the Tomcats tied the game at 53, and SVC was unable to score on its next trip downcourt.  However, the SVC defense held, and Thiel turned the ball over on a shot clock violation with 1:06 left on the clock.

The Thiel defense was equally stingy, and the Bearcats found themselves in a similar situation with the shot clock about to run out.  After a Tomcat tipped the ball into the backcourt, Pettiford was forced to launch a shot from beyond half court with 2 seconds left on the shot clock.  While the shot failed to produce points, it did hit the rim, and was rebounded by BJ McGill, giving Saint Vincent a fresh shot clock.  McGill was then fouled, and hit one shot with 27.9 seconds left, giving the Bearcats a 54-53 lead.

Thiel's Devon Adams gave the visitors the lead back with 12.6 seconds, 55-54, and after a quick timeout by the Tomcats, SVC had one last opportunity to score.  Pettiford received the inbound pass and drove the length of the court, putting up a floating shot over a Thiel defender that found the bottom of the net, putting SVC in front, 56-55 with 4.8 ticks left.  After another timeout by Thiel, the Tomcats quickly rushed downcourt and called another timeout with 2.7 seconds remaining. 

Inbounding the ball from midcourt, the visitors managed to get the ball into Adams' hands for one last opportunity, but his shot failed to hit its mark, and the Bearcats held on for a dramatic win.

McGill led all scorers on the day with 19 points, and also recorded four steals.  Latus tallied 14 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.

For Thiel, Ladell Trotty had 12 points, while Adams added 11.  Trotty was tops on the boards with 9, while Aundra Jones had 8 rebounds.  Thiel's top scorer, Blair Rozenblad, was held to just 8 points on the day.

Saint Vincent is now 12-6 overall on the year, 5-3 in the PAC.  Thiel falls to 12-5, 7-1 in the conference.  SVC will return to action on Wednesday night, hosting Westminster College at 8PM in the Carey Center.