The Saint Vincent men's basketball team won the 2019-20 home opener by a score of 75-62 over Penn State-Fayette in a non-conference matchup.

The Bearcats took their first lead of the game on threes from Kyle Pope and David Stephen that made the score 6-5.  Reed later scored five straight points on a three and a long jumper, followed by a transition layup by Tom Neugebauer that made the score 15-8, five minutes into play.
 
The lead grew to 11 after another three by Stephen (23-12), but the next four points belonged to the Lions.  Brendan Hempstead then drove the lane to make the score 25-16, and the lead later returned to double-digits after another score by Hempstead, 29-19 with seven minutes remaining.
 
However, the Lions then reeled off seven straight points, cutting the gap to just three, 29-26 before the Bearcats rallied.  Back-to-back steals by Andrew Reed and Kyle Pope led to four points at the other end of the court by Stephen, giving SVC a 33-26 lead. 
 
In the closing seconds of the half, another steal by the Bearcats, this one by Cletus Helton, led to a three-point attempt by Hempstead, who drew a foul, and made all three free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining, giving the Bearcats a 40-32 lead at the break.
 
Drew Normandin got the Bearcats off to a quick start in the second half, scoring seven points in a two-minute span, putting the Bearcats up by twelve, 50-38.
 
The lead hovered near double figures for the next several minutes, thanks in part to strong play by Helton, who scored on a runner, then later made a spin move in the lane, scored, and drew a foul that made it a 57-46 game at the 11:43 mark.
 
Fayette's Iman Young kept his team in the game, adding a basket with just under 7 minutes remaining that cut the margin to eight, 62-54.  A three by the Lions at the 3:48 mark closed the gap even more, making it a 64-58 game.

Reed then scored on a jumper near the three-minute mark to increase the lead to 8, and he followed with another score a minute later to make it a 10-point game, 68-58, with 1:45 remaining.  The rest of the game was spent at the foul line, with SVC pushing the advantage to 13 at the end.
 
Stephen led all scorers with 23 points, while Reed tallied 13.  Normandin had his second double-double of the season, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Helton had 9 points and 8 boards, while Stephen also grabbed 8 rebounds. 
 
The Lions (1-2) were led by Young, who had 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Saint Vincent is now 2-1 on the season, and will travel to Pittsburgh to face Carlow University on Friday (November 15) at 7:00.