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The Bearcats came back from a five-point second half deficit to defeat Waynesburg University on Presidents' Athletic Conference action, 68-61.

Waynesburg entered the game winless in conference action and just 3-9 overall, but shot the ball at nearly a 50% clip in the first half.  Just under six minutes into play, the visitors held a 14-7 advantage before a three by Dennis Bassich and a layup by Ed Wright started a Bearcat comeback.

However, the Jackets then opened the lead back to five, 21-16, just past the halfway mark of the first half, before Bassich added four quick points to cut the margin to one.  With 5:55 left, Tauvon Pettiford hit a pair of free throws to give SVC a 25-23 lead, and Chris Klimchock then extended the lead to four with a drive to the hoop at the 4:50 mark.

Waynesburg refused to go away, recovering to take a 34-31 lead with six straight points inside the final two minutes.  An off-balance putback at the buzzer by Ralph Nin gave the Bearcats momentum going into the break and made it a one-point game, 34-33.

After Pettiford gave the Bearcats a 35-34 lead to open the second half, the Jackets once again took control, taking a 41-36 lead with 17:45 to go.  A runner by Isaac Turner then started a 10-point Saint Vincent run, which included six key points from Klimchock. 

The Bearcats eventually opened the lead to seven (50-43) after four straight points from Dillon Stith, but Waynesburg eventually closed the gap back to five, 52-47, just past the 10 minute mark of the half.

After Nin blocked a pair of shots on consecutive Waynesburg possessions, Bassich hit a three-pointer at the 9:05 mark that made it a 55-47 game.  With 5:20 to go, a jumper by Turner made it an eight point game, 62-54, but the next four points belonged to the visitors, as they cut the gap to four with just under four minutes remaining.

The next three minutes became a defensive battle, with neither team scoring until Bassich hit a trey with 1:10 to go, once again stretching the lead to seven (65-58), and the Bearcats held on in the final minute for a seven point win.

Bassich had his most productive night of the season, pumping in 30 points on 10-16 shooting.  He also went 7-for-8 from the free throw line.  Klimchock scored 13 points, going 6-for-9 from the floor, while dishing out five assists (against zero turnovers) and recording two steals.  Nin added 7 points and a game-high 8 rebounds in his return to action after missing a month due to injury.  Pettiford added seven boards and Stith had three blocked shots.

For Waynesburg, Larry Alexander had a strong night, scoring 22 points including 4 three-pointers.  Lou Galante added 12, while Kurt Bonnet had 10 points. 

With the victory, Saint Vincent is now 9-4 overall, 2-2 in the PAC.  Waynesburg falls to 0-4 in conference play. 

Saint Vincent will host Washington & Jefferson College on Saturday at 6PM in the Carey Center.