LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 27) – The Saint Vincent College men's basketball team was defeated 63-57 by Waynesburg University in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.
Saint Vincent (17-2, 12-2 PAC) struggled offensively, shooting just 30 percent from the field (14-46) and connecting on just two three-pointers, a season-low.
Dev Ostrowski led three double-digit scorers for the Bearcats with 15 points, while
Jaden Gales added 13 and
Osyon Jones 11. Gales also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
The game was a physical, defensive battle from the start, with the two teams combining for just three field goals over the opening 10 minutes, after which the Bearcats held a 12-6 lead thanks to a strong 10-12 performance at the foul line. The SVC lead would hover between three and six points over the next few minutes, before the Yellow Jackets embarked on an 11-5 run to tie the game at 17 with 5:09 left in the half. The teams then traded baskets over the latter stages of the half, with six ties and four lead changes in the final four minutes, with Waynesburg taking a 29-28 lead into the break after Korey Mitchum connected on three free throws with one second left.
Defense was the theme over the opening 20 minutes, with SVC going just 6-21 from the field and Waynesburg 10-27. The Bearcats kept the game tight with their efforts at the foul line, making 16 of 22 attempts.
Ostrowski scored on the opening trip of the second half to give the lead back to SVC at 30-29, but Waynesburg used strong inside play to rattle off a 16-4 run and take a 45-34 lead with 12:19 left in regulation.
The Bearcats began to chip away at the deficit, with layups from
Tayler McNeal and Jayden Bailey cutting the gap to 45-38 with 11:10 left, before Gales scored five points in a 40-second span, including a long three-pointer, to make it a 4-point game, 47-43, with 6:52 to go. SVC would continue the comeback, as two
Mike Iuzzolino free throws followed by an Ostrowski three-pointer cut the gap to 49-48 with 4:34 left.
After the Ostrowski trifecta, the Bearcats went cold, going without a field goal for a nearly three-minute span, while the Yellow Jackets pulled away, outscoring SVC 14-9 over the final four minutes to close out the win.
Waynesburg was led by Jansen Knotts, who scored a game-high 19 points, while Antone Baker added 12 and Mitchum 10. Jaylen Davis grabbed 10 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets, who ended the night with a 38-32 margin on the boards.
The Bearcats will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 31, traveling to PAC foe Grove City for a 7:30 p.m. matchup. Saint Vincent will be seeking a season sweep of the series, after previously defeating Grove City 88-60 on Dec. 6 in Latrobe.
