LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 4)- The Saint Vincent men's basketball team has extended their winning streak to seven games as they defeated Waynesburg 92-72 behind a dominate first half.

The Bearcats (9-3, 5-2 PAC) were led by a huge performance by Mike Iuzzolino and great defensive intensity to a commanding defeat of Waynesburg (5-7, 3-4 PAC) to push their winning streak to an incredible 7 games in a row.

Iuzzolino was the star of the show, scoring 32 points on 10-19 shooting from the field and 7-12 shooting from deep with three assists and four steals. He was just on fire all game from the outside and displayed amazing off ball instincts to get himself open. Osyon Jones also had a big night, scoring 17 points on 6-8 shooting from the field with six rebounds. Maxwell Gordon controlled the flow of the offense all night, racking up nine assists to go with 12 points on 6-11 shooting.

Both teams started on fire from the field with the Bearcats starting 6-9 and Waynesburg starting 5-6 over the first five and a half minutes of the game. Three Waynesburg turnovers were able to give the Bearcats more scoring opportunities and a 15-12 lead after the first 5 minutes.

At the first timeout Saint Vincent led 23-18 thanks to blistering offense. Dev Ostrowski and Iuzzolino led the way in this early stretch scoring a combined 17 points on 7-9 shooting from the field.

Over the next few minutes both defense locked in, getting hands in passing lanes and forcing tough shots. The Bearcats were able to run in transition and make plays to push the lead to 27-18 and force a Waynesburg timeout with about 9 minutes let in the half.

From here Saint Vincent hit the gas, going on a 16-8 run over the next 4 minutes to balloon their lead to 43-26 without 5 minutes to play in the half. They played aggressive defense that caused 3 Waynesburg turnovers in this stretch and attacked the rim relentlessly on offense, scoring inside and getting to the line often.

The Bearcats kept the heat on, outscoring Waynesburg 12-4 over the final 3 minutes to talk a 55-30 lead into halftime.

The half started very back and forth but once the Bearcats hit, they never looked back. They shot an insane 59% from the field in the first half. The offense was just clicking on every level, and the decision making was great all over the floor. They also out shot Waynesburg by seven thanks to forcing 12 turnovers to just three turnovers lost. The Bearcats got out and ran on those turnovers as well, scoring 18 points off turnovers. Saint Vincent just dominated the first half in almost every fashion and the halftime score of 55-30 reflected that.

The benches started to empty in the second half which allowed Waynesburg to find some rhythm on offense. They shot 10-15 over the first 10 minutes of the second half and scored 23 points. The Bearcats took a step back from the first half dominance, but still managed to score 17 points over that span to keep a comfortable 72-53 lead with about 11 minutes left to play.

As Waynesburg continued to push the score a little closer, the Bearcats redeployed their starters back into the game. And they quickly stabilized the game, keeping the Saint Vincent lead at 83-64 with about 5 minutes to play.

From there the Bearcats just coasted to the final buzzer, winning 9-72.

The Bearcats dominated the first half and used that lead to coast to an easy 92-72 victory over Waynesburg. The size and athletics of Saint Vincent was just too much for Waynesburg to handle in this one. The Bearcats were consistently able to disrupt play on defense and then use those strengths to get out and run in transition. The offense just hummed all game when the normal rotations were running. They shot 52% from the field and 36% from deep. Iuzzolino's huge game with smart offense from the rest of the roster led to a complete offensive display. On defense the size and athleticism showed up again with Waynesburg never being able to get into a consistent rhythm when it mattered.

The Bearctas will look to keep the wins rolling on Wednesday, January 8th againt Bethany in West Virginia. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.