BOX SCORE
PHOTO GALLERY
The Bearcats lost a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup on the road to Bethany College, falling by a score of 77-63.
Saint Vincent scored the game's first six points, and continued to hold a lead through the game's first nine minutes, before Reece Mabery caught fire for the Bison. Mabery hit three pointers on consecutive trips down the court to break a 15-15 tie, and the Bison never trailed the remainder of the game.
A Brady Pacific three with five minutes left in the first half put the hosts up 27-18, but a floater by
Armani Fountain and a three by
Dillon Stith brought the Bearcats back within four, 27-23, with 4:05 left. After Bethany once again increased the lead to six, Stith came through again with a drive that made it 31-27, but the Bison ended the half with four straight points to take an 8-point edge into the break.
Early in the second half, strong play by
Tauvon Pettiford brought SVC back within six, 39-33, and Stith later made it a three-point game, 42-39, with a dunk at the 14:16 mark.
However, the Bison then scored the game's next six points to extend the lead back to nine, 48-39, but the Bearcats once again fought back. Another three by Stith with 8:50 to go cut the SVC deficit to three, 52-49, and a putback by
Ralph Nin a little over a minute later made it a one-point game, 52-51. Once again, the Bison refused to give up the lead, as a James Barton three ran the lead back to four, and solid play from Barton over the next three minutes helped the Bison pull away for a 14-point victory.
Stith had a career high 24 points for the Bearcats. Pettiford and
Isaac Turner each contributed 12. Stith had a team-best 8 rebounds, while
Chris Klimchock had six assists.
For the Bison, Mabery tallied 27 points, while British Alexander had 15. In all, five Bison scored in double figures.
Saint Vincent is now 5-3 in PAC play, 12-5 overall. Bethany is 7-1 in the conference, 15-2 overall. SVC will host Westminster College at 6PM on Saturday in the Carey Center.