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NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (Jan. 13) – In a battle of the top scoring offense against the top scoring defense in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, it was defense that won out as the Saint Vincent men's basketball team beat Westminster 56-54 at the Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.

Westminster entered the contest averaging 77.4 points per game in PAC contests. Saint Vincent entered allowing just 57.3 points per game in league games. However, it was the Bearcats defense that rose to the challenge, holding the Titans 23 points under their average in PAC games. 
 
A fast start helped Saint Vincent open up an early 10-2 lead with 14:09 to play in the first half. An offensive rebound and layup by Austin Dedert opened up the scoring for SVC. After a jumper by Westminster tied it, SVC rattled off eight straight points, which included four points by Shemar Bennett.
 
Jarrett Vrabel helped Westminster get going offensively, connecting on a three-pointer and a jumper on consecutive possessions to close the deficit to 12-7.
 
After a driving layup from David Stephen made it 14-7, Westminster used back-to-back three point plays to close the score to 14-13 at the 11:25 mark.
 
Tom Neugebauer helped the Bearcats answer with a layup, making it 16-13. A layup by Matt D'Amico would push the lead to five points (18-13) with 9:26 to play in the half.
 
Westminster would use a 7-0 run, capped by a three-pointer by Cameron Kane Johnson to take its first lead of the game, at 20-18 with 5:29 remaining in the half.
 
SVC would respond with seven straight points to regain the lead at 25-20. The run was capped with a three-pointer from Mike Simmons at the 3:58 mark. Saint Vincent would close the half with the final five points, including a buzzer beating putback by Simmons, making it 30-22 after 20 minutes.
 
A big part of the first half story was the Bearcats' defense, which held Westminster to 9-of-29 from the field (31 percent).
 
Saint Vincent slowly built upon its lead early in the second half. A dunk and layup by Dedert, followed by a pair of free throws by D'Amico, pushed the Bearcat lead into double figures (38-27) for the first time.
 
Four straight points helped close within seven at 38-31 with 13:17 to play. However, Bennett and Kyle Evans would tack on layups to push the lead to 42-31 at the 12:13 mark.
 
Westminster would not go quietly, slowly cutting into the Saint Vincent lead. The Titans used a 14-6 run to cut the deficit to 48-45 with 3 minutes to play. A floater by Evans from the free throw line helped give SVC a two possession lead once again. The teams went back and forth, trading scores over the final few minutes.
 
After a pair of free throws by Stephen made it 54-49, the Bearcats made a defensive stop. However, in the process of moving up court, they turned it over. Westminster corralled it and drained a three pointer to make it 54-52 with 40.4 to play.
 
That is when Evans came through with a driving layup as the shot clock was winding down. That basket gave SVC a two-possession lead with just 11 seconds left. Westminster would add a layup with 0.2 seconds left but could not complete the comeback.
 
Dedert finished with a team-high 10 points and added eight rebounds, while D'Amico totaled eight points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Stephen and Jason Capco each added eight points, while Evans tossed in six points and six rebounds.
 
With its fourth straight win, SVC improved to 10-5 overall and 7-1 in PAC play. Westminster drops to 12-3 overall and 6-2 in league contests. The victory was the 17th straight for SVC against Westminster dating back to 2010. 
 
Saint Vincent travels to Thomas More for a PAC contest on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. The teams enter Wednesday's contest in a tie for first place in the league.