By Charlie Russo, Sports Information Student Assistant
 
PHOTO GALLERY

The Bearcat men's basketball team opened Presidents' Athletic Conference play with a 73-61 victory at home over Bethany College.
 
Both teams started strong offensively, frequently trading baskets, as the score remained close throughout the first half. Junior forward Austin Ford started things off for the Bearcats, scoring on a precise pass from Jaylon Bell with 19:02 left in the first half. Sophomore Austin Dedert, a dominant force down low during the half, hit two free throws on the next possession to give SVC a two point lead.
 
Senior Pat Jones found his way into the offensive action at the 15:04 mark, hitting a trey to give the Bearcats a 9-8 lead. Jones scored on the next possession, followed by classmate JC Howard spinning his way to the hoop to make it 13-10 Saint Vincent. With 9:24 left in the period, Bell and Jones would hit consecutive threes to give the Bearcats a four-point lead. Dedert continued to work the paint, scoring on two straight possessions, followed by a Ben Klimchock deep three to lead SVC into the locker room with a 32-29 lead.
 
For Saint Vincent, Jones scored 8 points and Dedert added 6. For the Bison, Antonio Rudolph had 8 first half points.
 
The second half remained as exhilarating as the first; with both teams featuring balanced offensive attacks. Bell got the fans on their feet, as he drove to the hoop and made an up-and-under layup to get things rolling in the second for the Bearcats. At the 17:38 mark, Jones scored on a put back to extend the SVC lead to five. Senior Bobby Swartwout jumped into the action on the next possession, scoring on a long three to make the score 41-33 SVC.
 
With 12:14 left in the contest, Howard scored on a floater and a jumper on back-to-back possessions, giving SVC a 10-point lead. The Bison went on a quick 6-0 run with 9:07 left, before Matt D'Amico drained a key three to extend the Bearcats' lead back to nine.  Later, Dedert scored on a put back and Bell hit two free throws with 54 seconds left in the game, leading the Bearcats to a 73-61 conference victory.
 
For the Bearcats, Bell led all scorers with 18 points. Jones and Dedert added 13 each, and Swartwout grabbed 8 boards. For the Bison, Antonio Rudolph had 14 points and 7 rebounds.

Saint Vincent is now 3-1 on the season, while Bethany is now 2-3.