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The Bearcats fought back from a 20-point second half deficit, getting as close as three points in the closing minutes before falling to Bethany College by a 65-57 score at the Carey Center.

The visitors owned much of the first half, holding the Bearcats to just seven points in the first 10 minutes, opening a 17-7 advantage.  The lead grew to 17 by halftime, 35-18, thanks to strong shooting (15-for-25) by the Bison.  Meanwhile, the Bearcats struggled, shooting just 23% (8-for-35) in the opening 20 minutes, including a 1-13 showing from three-point range.

In the second half, SVC came out sharp, scoring seven straight points to cut the deficit to ten, 35-25.  However, the Bison then regained control and went on a ten-point run of their own, extending the lead to twenty, 45-25, with just over 13 minutes left.

From there, the hosts began to chip away at the lead.  A pair of free throws by Dennis Bassich dropped the Bison lead to single digits, 54-45, with 5:14 remaining.  At the 4:30 mark, Dillon Stith scored to make it a 7-point game.  Later, a long three-pointer by BJ McGill made the score 58-52 with just over three minutes left.

After the Bison ran the lead back to eight, 60-52, Grant Latus scored on a tip-in with 2:45 left, followed by a McGill free throw at the 2:16 mark.  With 2:00 remaining, Mike Burroughs took a pass from McGill and scored, making it a three-point game, 60-57.

A foul then put Bethany's British Alexander at the line with 1:51 left, and he hit both shots to once again make it a five-point game, and the Bearcats were unable to score the remainder of the game.

With 15 seconds left, a loose ball on the court resulted in a held ball between SVC's Bassich and Bethany's James Barton.  After the whistle blew, both players received technical fouls for extracurricular activity, and both players were then given additional technicals for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in ejections.  SVC's Latus was also ejected for coming off the bench during the incident.

Barton led all scorers on the night with 19 points for the Bison (9-3 in the Presidents Athletic Conference).  Alexander added 17, while Reece Mabery (13) and Nick Wilcox (12) also scored in double figures.  Wilcox had a game-best 11 rebounds.

For Saint Vincent (7-4 PAC), McGill returned to action after missing a game to score 14 points, while Tauvon Pettiford added 13 and Bassich 11.  Latus grabbed 10 rebounds, as SVC out-rebounded Bethany by a 45-31 margin.

The Bearcats return to action on the road Saturday, facing Waynesburg University at 3:30PM.