by Abby Geisel, Sports Information Assistant

Propelled by strong efforts from junior guards Tauvon Pettiford and Dennis Bassich, the Saint Vincent men's basketball team edged out the Grove City Wolverines 56-53 at the Carey Center in Presidents' Athletic Conference action.

Pettiford led the Bearcats in scoring with 16 points, followed closely by Bassich, who had 13 points including a key three-pointer with 0:40 left in the game. Grant Latus had 8 for Saint Vincent.

Both the Bearcats and Wolverines struggled to score in the first half, yet Saint Vincent jumped out to a 10-5 lead. SVC continued to maintain its lead until 5:22 of the first half when Grove City's Brett Matson pulled the Wolverines to within one point. 

A field goal by Saint Vincent senior BJ McGill put Saint Vincent up 18-15, but Grove City scored the next six points to take a 21-18 lead. Saint Vincent responded with a 6-point run of its own, including a basket from Bassich and four points from Pettiford, to again give the Bearcats the lead 24-21 with 1:02 remaining in the first half. The halftime score was 24-23 Saint Vincent.

After four points from the Wolverines, Bassich and Pettiford opened the second half for the Bearcats with a basket each to give Saint Vincent a 29-25 lead. The remainder of the game was a back and forth battle including eight lead changes and six ties. With 5:13 left, Saint Vincent took a four-point lead, matching their largest lead of the half, but Grove City responded with two three-pointers from Matt Roush to give them a 51-49 lead. 

At 1:35, Bassich drove the lane and drew a key foul, then made both of his free throws to tie the game once again at 51. Grove City took their last lead of the game, 53-51, on free throws by Bryn Moran. Saint Vincent then closed the game with two from Latus and a crucial three from Bassich.

Matson led the Wolverines in scoring with 15 points. He was followed by Mike Grist with 12. The Bearcats' Latus led both teams in rebounds with 9.

Saint Vincent improves to 17-7 overall and 9-4 in the President's Athletic Conference. Grove City falls to 5-19 overall, 2-11 in the PAC. With the win, the Bearcats clinch a home game in the first round of the PAC playoffs, starting Tuesday evening. They will close out their regular season on Saturday afternoon against PAC rivals Thomas More College at 3PM in Kentucky.