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ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 20) – Trailing by just one point at halftime, the Saint Vincent men's basketball team fell 77-60 to a strong Baldwin Wallace team in non-conference action at the RDV Sportsplex D3 Classic in Orlando.
 
B-W entered the game with a pair of wins over Division III Top 10 teams already this year. The Yellow Jackets used a strong shooting effort to pull away over the final eight minutes to best the Bearcats.
 
Just like last night against Hope, Saint Vincent was plagued by another slow start. The Yellow Jackets built an early 10-2 lead less than three minutes into the contest.
 
After a three-pointer from Mike Simmons, B-W rattled off 10 straight points to take a commanding 20-5 advantage at the 13:34 mark. The Yellow Jackets would push the lead to 18 points (25-7) after a three-pointer with 12:05 to play in the half.
 
Saint Vincent would use strong defense and a fast paced offensive attack to respond with a 12-0 run, cutting the deficit to 25-19 on a layup by Shemar Bennett with 9:35 to play in the half. The Bearcats had five different players record a field goal during the run.
 
B-W would respond quickly with four consecutive points to push the lead back to nine at 28-19. However, SVC used a 7-0 spurt, including back-to-back baskets by Tom Kromka to close within a basket, at 28-26 with five minutes left in the half.
 
Trailing 32-26, the Bearcats used an 8-0 run to surge into the lead just before halftime at 34-32 with a driving layup by Collin Neville. B-W would answer with a three-pointer to take a 35-34 lead into the break.
 
Simmons led SVC offensively with nine points and four rebounds over the first 20 minutes. A big part of the first half comeback for SVC was a 25-11 advantage in rebounding.
 
A three-pointer by Jason Capco early in the second half would give the Bearcats a 40-38 lead over B-W. A little later, D'Amico would score back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 43-43.
 
The Yellow Jackets would use a 9-2 run to take a 52-45 lead over SVC. However, the Bearcats would continue to fight, as Austin Dedert grabbed an offensive board to make it 52-47 with 10:32 to play.
 
After B-W split a pair at the line, Capco drained a wide open three-pointer to draw SVC back within a basket at 53-50 with 9:44 left. Five straight points, including a fast break three, help B-W swell the lead back to eight (58-50).
 
Nathan Griffin would convert two of three free throws to draw SVC within six (58-52) with 8:41 to play. However, the Yellow Jackets would extend the lead into double figures, closing the contest with a 19-8 run over the final eight plus minutes.
 
Simmons and Capco both finished in double figures scoring, with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Simmons also added six rebounds, joining Kromka and David Stephen with six boards. Jay Battle and Cam Kuhn each finished with 21 points for the Yellow Jackets.
 
The loss drops SVC's overall record to 6-4, while Baldwin Wallace moves to 7-2.
 
Saint Vincent returns to action with a non-conference road contest against Hood College in Frederick, Md. on Saturday, Dec. 30. Tip-off against the Blazers is slated for 3 p.m.