GROVE CITY, Pa. (Jan. 18) – Led by the frontcourt tandem of Jaden Gales and Shemar Bennett, the Saint Vincent College men's basketball team earned its third straight victory, topping host Grove City 76-68 in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup at the Grove City Arena.
Gales scored a game-high 24 points, going 9-for-12 from the field and 6-for-8 from the line, while Bennett recorded a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double, as SVC improved to 10-7 overall and 6-6 in the PAC and earned the season sweep of Grove City (6-10, 4-7 PAC).
Gales and Bennett were joined in double figures on the scoresheet by Mike Iuzzolino, who scored 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, while Osyon Jones scored seven and Tayler McNeal six.
The Saint Vincent defense limited Grove City to just 32 percent (21-for-64) from the field and 28 percent (4-for-14) from behind the arc, while turning 13 Grove City turnovers into 15 points.
In a physical game in which the two teams committed a combined 45 fouls, each squad performed well from the foul line, with SVC connecting on 26 of 36 attempts and Grove City 22 of 26.
The Bearcats started hot, jumping out to an 11-4 lead just four minutes into play, with four points from Gales and a three-pointer from Iuzzolino. The hosts quickly countered with a 10-4 run over the next three minutes to make it a one-point game, 15-14, with just under 13 minutes left to play. Layups by Gales and Corey Harden gave SVC a 19-16 lead at the 11-minute mark, but the Wolverines answered with a 7-2 surge to take a 23-21 lead with just under nine minutes left in the half. The two squads would trade the lead over the next five-plus minutes, before Bennett, Jones and Iuzzolino combined for seven unanswered points to open up a 34-28 lead with 1:40 left in the stanza. The Bearcats eventually took a 37-32 advantage into the break.
Saint Vincent kept the momentum coming out of the locker room, with Bennett, Jones, Gales and McNeal all scoring in the opening two minutes of the second frame to open up a double-digit lead, 44-34, with 18:04 left in regulation. As was the case in the first half, Grove City answered right back, embarking on a 12-2 run over the next five minutes to pull to within two, 46-44, with 13:33 left on the clock.
With 13:02 left, Iuzzolino was fouled on a successful three-pointer and buried the subsequent free throw to push the SVC lead to 50-44. The rare four-point play ignited a 14-4 Bearcat run, with Bennett netting 12 over the span, to give the visitors their largest lead of the night, 62-46, with 8:45 remaining. The lengthy run effectively put the game away, as the Bearcat lead would hover between 12 and 15 points over the next seven minutes before the Wolverines cut it to single digits in the final minute.
Along with his 24 points, Gales also led SVC with two blocked shots, while he and Bennett each grabbed two steals.
The Bearcats finished the game with a 40-24 advantage in points in the paint and an 8-2 margin in fast break points, while SVC's 12 offensive rebounds led to 15 second-chance points.
Grove City was led on the scoresheet by Jonah Bock, who scored 14, fueled by a 6-for-6 showing at the foul line.
Saint Vincent will once again travel to northwestern Pennsylvania for its next matchup, as the Bearcats will face PAC co-leader Westminster on Saturday, Jan. 21, beginning at 3:30 p.m.
