LORETTO, Pa. (Dec. 8) – The Saint Vincent men's basketball team resumed its busy week and long rivalry with Division I foe Saint Francis University on Thursday night.
Playing its third game in four days, the Bearcats were defeated 88-58 in the exhibition tilt at the Maurice Stokes Athletic Center.
The host Red Flash used an impressive long-range shooting performance, connecting on 13 of 25 attempts from behind the arc, while also out-scoring SVC 38-26 in points in the paint.
Saint Vincent's
Jaden Gales led all scorers with 21 points, while
Tayler McNeal scored seven and tallied team-highs with eight rebounds and three steals.
Andrew Reed notched six assists.
The Bearcats stayed close with the Red Flash for the duration of the first half. SVC jumped out to leads of 7-2 and 10-7 in the first five minutes. Saint Francis jumped ahead, 15-12, with 12:43, and the Red Flash advantage hovered between three and six points for the next several minutes. Saint Francis would then embark on a 20-5 run over the final six minutes to take a 44-23 lead at the break.
Saint Francis stayed hot to start the second half, opening on a 14-4 run to increase its lead to 58-27 with just under 12 minutes left in regulation. The Bearcats would outscore their hosts 31-30 the rest of the way, with five different SVC players finding the scoresheet over the span, including Gales,
Nick Peccon (5 points), Julian Vonovier (4),
Isaac Little (3) and
Logan Karvoski (3).
Thursday's game resumed a long rivalry between Saint Vincent and Saint Francis, as it marked the 66th all-time meeting between the two squads and first since 1975-76. The two teams played at least one every year from 1945-76. The matchup also served as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Saint Francis's Stokes Athletic Center. Named after the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Saint Francis alum and NBA all-star, the Stokes Center hosted its first men's basketball game on Dec. 4, 1972, which also pitted the Red Flash and the Bearcats.
Luke Ruggery led four Saint Francis scorers in double figures with 18 points, while Josh Cohen recorded a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Saint Vincent will now return to action on Saturday, Dec. 10, hosting Presidents' Athletic Conference foe Allegheny College at 4 p.m. in the Robert S. Carey Student Center. On Christmas in the Carey Center, fans are urged to wear their ugliest Christmas sweater, while there will be a number of special prize giveaways for students and fans.
The Allegheny tilt will mark the Bearcats' fourth in six days, closing SVC's busiest week of the season.
