PHOTO GALLERY
By Jon Souders, Sports Information Student Assistant
LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 18) – Strong inside play and good defense lifted the Bearcats to a 64-58 win at home over Thomas More College in a battle for first place in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
The victory was the eighth straight in head-to-head matchups with the Saints, a streak that dates back to the PAC Championship game in 2014.
The Bearcats got on the board first as
Austin Dedert tallied the game's first points in the opening minute of play. Following a few successful trips up and down the court for both teams, Colin Neville came off the bench to score back-to-back baskets and spark a seven-point run for the Bearcats, making it 13-6 at the 13:33 mark in the first half.
After the Bearcats extended their lead to eight points, Thomas More answered back with seven straight points, cutting the deficit to just one, 17-16. A tip-in from Dedert ended the run and made it 19-16 at the 7:37 mark. The Saints kept it close until the Bearcats were able to finish the half strong, as an offensive rebound and putback by
Austin Ford finished off a 10-2 run, which helped increase the Bearcat lead to 35-26 going into the break.
Thomas More started out strong in the second half, using a 14-5 spurt to tie the contest at 40-40. Some untimely foul trouble for the Bearcats changed the makeup of the game as the Saints reached the bonus with 12:32 left, and the game tied 46-46. After a Bearcat missed field goal, the Saints came down and hit a three-pointer from the wing to make take a 49-46 lead, their first advantage since the early stages of the contest.
After a pair of free throws by Dedert brought the Bearcats within one, Thomas More tried to answer with a layup on the other end. However,
Tom Kromka came up with a key block, which resulted in
Coy Patterson Jr corralling the loose ball and taking it the length of the court to recapture the lead for the Bearcats, at 50-49 with just under 10 minutes left.
The very next possession for the Saints ended the same way, as this time Dedert blocked a shot that led to a transition three-point basket by
Mike Simmons, which extended the lead to 53-49 with 8:51 left.
The Saints quieted the crowd momentarily with a running jumper in the lane. However, Kromka scored four straight at the line to push the advantage back to six. The Saints would cut the deficit back to a single possession on occasion down the stretch but could not reclaim a lead in the final minutes.
Matt D'Amico would split a pair of free throws and Ford sunk a pair to close out the victory.
Leading the way offensively for Saint Vincent was Kromka, who finished with a team-high 16 points.
Ford recorded his third double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 boards. Dedert and Simmons each added 10 to solidify the quartet of Bearcats scoring in double figures. Kromka added 8 rebounds and matched a career-best with 4 blocks to round out a solid all-around evening.
Simon Clifford led all scorers with 18 points for the Saints. Austin Young added 10 in the loss. Damion King had a game-high four assists for TMC.
The victory improves SVC to 12-4 overall and moves them into sole possession of first place in the PAC at 8-1 as conference play flips for the second half of the schedule. The loss drops Thomas More to 11-5 overall and 7-2 in the PAC, a game behind SVC in the standings. The defeat drops Thomas More to 11-5 overall and 7-2 in the PAC.
Saint Vincent travels to Chatham University on Saturday, January 21. The Bearcats and Cougars are slated for a 3 p.m. tipoff.
