LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 14) – The Saint Vincent men's basketball team rode a fast start and led wire-to-wire in an impressive 72-60 victory over longtime rival Geneva College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup in the Robert S. Carey Center.
The Saint Vincent (9-7, 5-6 PAC) offense saw three players score in double figures, while the Bearcat defense limited a potent Geneva (11-5, 8-3 PAC) squad to just 33 percent from the field and 28 percent from long distance.
Osyon Jones scored a team-leading 20 points to pace the SVC offense, going 7-for-12 from the field and 6-for-8 from the foul line. Shemar Bennett posted a line of 19 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots, while Mike Iuzzolino scored 15 points, shooting 4-for-7 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. Jones and Jaden Gales each had three steals to tie for the SVC team lead, while Gales added seven rebounds, as the Bearcats held a 38-33 advantage on the glass.
In a physical game in which the two teams were whistled for a combined 43 fouls, Saint Vincent won the battle at the free throw line, going 23-for-28, including 19-for-22 over the second half. Geneva connected on 16 of 19 freebies.
The Bearcats couldn't have asked for a better start, jumping out to an 11-0 lead six minutes into play, with seven points coming from Bennett. After the GTs cut the gap to 15-8, the Bearcats rattled off a quick 6-0 run, with four points from Jones and a Bennett fast break layup, to open up a 21-7 margin with 7:59 left in the half. Tayler McNeal's jumper with 4:42 to go gave SVC its largest lead of the half, 25-10, before Geneva countered with a 13-5 run over the final four minutes to cut the gap to 30-23 at the intermission.
The Bearcats regained a double-digit lead five minutes into the second frame, with layups from Jones and Bennett upping the score to 38-28, but the Golden Tornadoes answered right back with a 9-4 run over the next five minutes to pull to within five at 42-37. Iuzzolino countered by scoring five points in a 40-second span, with a three-pointer followed by two free throws, before Bennett's jumper in the paint with 8:34 left opened back up a 10-point lead, 49-39.
Geneva eventually cut the deficit to 58-50 with 2:30 left, but the visitors would get no closer, as the Bearcats iced the game at the foul line, going 10-for-12 from the stripe over the final two minutes to seal the conference victory.
Led by Bennett's play underneath, Saint Vincent held a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint, while the Bearcats outscored the Golden Tornadoes 19-0 on fast break points.
Geneva was led by Lyle Tipton, who scored 20 points with eight rebounds, going 10-for-11 from the foul line. Ryan Rachic added 13 points and Isaac Massie 10.
The Bearcats will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 18, when they travel to Grove City for a 7:30 p.m. PAC battle.
