GROVE CITY, Pa. (Jan. 31)- The Saint Vincent men's basketball team used a second half surge to defeat Grove City, 79-64 on the road.
 
The Bearcats led by just one (36-35) at the half, before outscoring the Wolverines 43-29 over the final 20 minutes to close out the win.
 
Jaden Gales led the way with a game-high 23 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds. Mike Iuzzolino added 18 points, while Tayler McNeal and Dev Ostrowski scored 10 and 12 points, respectively.
 
Osyon Jones added eight points and five rebounds, while Corey Harden added four points and four boards off the bench. Diego Martinez and Jaden Bailey rounded out the scoring with two points each.
 
It was all SVC early on in the opening half, as the Bearcats quickly opened up to an 11-0 lead over the first three and a half minutes of the game. After a Bearcats' missed dunk, Grove City knocked in a three-pointer, their first field goal of the game, cutting the lead to 11-3.
 
The Wolverines eventually cut the lead to four at 11-7 but the Bearcats answered with a 14-5 surge to take a 25-12 lead with 10:45 to go in the half. 
 
Grove City countered with another big run of its own to close out the half, outscoring SVC 22-9 to tie the game at 34 with 1:03 remaining. The Bearcats regained a 36-34 lead with a pair of Martinez free throws, before the Wolverines split a pair at the line to make the score 36-35 at the half.

Saint Vincent started the second half in the same fashion as the first. The Bearcat defense stepped up its intensity, while increasing the lead back to five, 47-42, after an Ostrowski three-pointer with 16:08 remaining. 

Jones followed Ostrowski's three with a layup to move the lead to seven (49-42) and after a basket from Grove City, Gales buried a three ball to push Saint Vincent's lead to eight at 52-44. Over the next few minutes SVC increased their lead to double digits as they took a 60-49 advantage after a layup from Gales and two free throws from McNeal with just under ten minutes to go in the game.

Saint Vincent kept the momentum and continued to increase the lead, which eventually stretched to 18, 71-53, with 5:24 remaining. The late run was too much for the Wolverines to overcome, as SVC outscored its opponent by a 43-29 margin in the second half to secure the 15-point win. 
 
Saint Vincent was an efficient 29-53 (54.7%) from the field, while the Wolverines were 27-57 (47.4%) on their end. The Bearcats, who led for 38 of 40 minutes, outrebounded the Wolverines 32-24 for the game. 

The Bearcats are back on the road when they return to action at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, with a big matchup at Geneva in a battle for sole possession of first place in the PAC.