BOX SCORE

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The Bearcats were unable to hold a second half lead, falling on the road at Thomas More by a score of 81-74 in a key Presidents' Athletic Conference game.

SVC got off to a rough start, falling behind 2-0 before the opening tipoff.  A wardrobe malfunction resulted in SVC having to wear practice jerseys borrowed from the opponents, and the mismatched shirt/shorts combination resulted in an automatic technical foul for the Bearcats.

The hosts quickly built the lead to 8-0, then later led by as many as ten, 15-5, just over four minutes into play.

A pair of three-pointers by Dennis Bassich helped close the gap, and the senior then followed with a score off a steal that cut the deficit to just four, 17-13, at the 10:45 mark.

With 5:30 left in the first, a putback by Armani Fountain tied the game for the first time (22-22), and started a 7-point Bearcat run.  After the Saints ended the run with 2:55 left, Dillon Stith drove the lane for a dunk that made the score 29-24, SVC. 

With just over a minute left in the half, Bassich scored on a four-point play -- hitting a three-pointer and drawing a foul -- that made it 34-26, and SVC carried that eight-point edge into the half, 37-29.

Over the first four minutes of the second half, the Bearcats increased the advantage to 14, after a three-point play by Fountain made the score 47-33.  However, the Saints then went on an 8-point run, scored mainly at the free throw line.

That would set the tempo for the game's next ten minutes, as the Saints continued to draw fouls and cut into the margin at the line, eventually taking the lead.

At one point, the Saints hit 18 consecutive free throws in the second half.

Near the six minute mark, the teams traded leads on a few occasions thanks to strong play from SVC point guard Chris Klimchock, but foul trouble eventually cost the Bearcats four players, as the Saints went on to the win.

Klimchock and Bassich each scored 24 points for Saint Vincent, while Stith added 11.  Tauvon Pettiford led all rebounders in the game with 10. 

Colt Stafford led the Saints with 18 points and seven boards.

The key stat for the game was free throws -- Thomas More hit 32 of 39 opportunities for the game, while SVC hit 12 out of just 19 shots.  The Saints out-rebounded Saint Vincent 32-27, and caused 22 Bearcat turnovers.

With the loss, Saint Vincent is now 11-4 in the conference, while Thomas More improves to 13-3.  The Bearcats will close out the regular season with a key game against Bethany College on Saturday in the Carey Center at 6PM.