LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 24) – The Saint Vincent men's basketball team saw its four-game winning streak come to an end with a 70-61 loss to visiting Waynesburg University in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.
A fast start by Waynesburg University proved to be the difference, as they jumped out to a 13-2 lead after eight minutes of play. The Yellow Jackets used another lengthy run early on in the second half to lead by as many as 17 points. The Bearcats chipped away at the deficit over the game's final minutes, closing the gap to single digits, but time ran out on the SVC comeback.
Shemar Bennett scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to record his fourth consecutive double-double, and 10th of the season. Tayler McNeal added 16 points, going 6-for-8 from the field and 4-for-5 from the foul line, while Osyon Jones added nine points, five rebounds and three steals.
Hampered by an 8-for-26 performance from the field in the first half, Saint Vincent was held to just 39 percent from the field (22-for-56), including a 1-for-14 mark from behind the arc. Conversely, Waynesburg shot an even 50 percent from the field (22-for-44), including a 4-for-4 mark from behind the arc. In a physical game in which 50 total fouls were whistled, Waynesburg also held the edge at the free throw line, connecting on 22 of 27 attempts, compared to a 16-for-26 mark by the Bearcats.
After Waynesburg's hot start, Saint Vincent battled back to cut the deficit to four, 15-11, on a conventional three-point play by Bennett with 9:40 left in the half. A McNeal jumper with 8:30 to go pulled SVC to within 17-14, before Bennett hit four free throws in a 50-second span to trim the Waynesburg lead to 19-17 with 5:59 left in the half. The teams then traded baskets over the next four possessions, before the Yellow Jackets ended the half on a 10-3 run to take a 33-24 lead into the locker room.
The Yellow Jackets stayed hot to start the second half, outscoring SVC 15-6 to open up a 48-30 lead with 13:09 left in regulation. Waynesburg's lead would hover between 14 and 17 points over the next several minutes, until three-pointer by Mike Iuzzolino and a three-point play by McNeal closed the deficit to 56-45 with 7:34 left to play.
With 5:02 left, two free throws from McNeal cut the gap to 61-51, before a Corey Harden jumper and a McNeal layup pulled SVC to within single digits, 63-55, with 2:20 remaining. They would get no closer, however, as the Yellow Jackets went 5-for-6 from the foul line over the final 90 seconds to seal the win.
Antone Baker scored 18 points with nine rebounds to lead the Yellow Jackets, while Jansen Knotts scored 16.
Saint Vincent will be back at home when it returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 28, playing host to PAC co-leader Washington & Jefferson at 4 p.m. in the Carey Center.
