MEADVILLE, PA (Feb. 15)- The Saint Vincent men's basketball team used a second half offensive explosion to lift them past Allegheny 82-73 on Saturday afternoon.
The Bearcats (18-5, 14-4 PAC) got some stellar individual performances along with overall strong team oriented play to put up more consistent offensive results than Allegheny (8-15, 6-12 PAC) who just went a little cold too many times.
Dev Ostrowski was a key piece for Saint Vincent in the win. He scored 22 points on 8-15 from the field and 4-9 from deep. He always seemed to be at the center of every good Saint Vincent scoring run. Jaden Gales added 17 points on 7-8 from the field with a three and 10 rebounds. He was an absolute star in the second half, being one of the main contributors to the Saint Vincent offensive explosion. Maxwell Gordon also scored in double figures, scoring 14 points on 6-9 shooting from the field and 2-4 shooting from deep while dishing out six assists.
It was extremely tight to start with both teams putting together strong defensive showings with enough individual shot making to keep the scoring stable. After the first 10 minutes of the game Saint Vincent held a tight 19-18 lead. They spread the scoring out well and used a strong team approach on both ends of the floor.
Over the next five minutes, the Bearcats offense caught fire, going 6-7 from the field. They were consistently able to find good looks and knock them down. That mixed with a couple Allegheny turnovers led to this mini offensive explosion. The run was 14-7 and put the Bearcats up 33-25 with about five minutes to play in the half.
Allegheny then blitzed the Bearcats with a quick 8-0 run to tie the game at 33-33 with three minutes to go in the half thanks to some more aggressive offense. They took the ball harder inside which led to good scoring opportunities and free throws which they knocked down.
Over the final three minutes of the half both teams got sloppy on offense with five combined turnovers. They traded buckets with Saint Vincent, emerging with the slight 38-36 lead heading into halftime.
The first half was a back and forth battle all the way, with both teams constantly trading buckets and matching runs to keep things within single digits the entire time. The Bearcats shot 48% from the field and 39% from deep in what was a well rounded offensive attack led by Ostrowski's 10 first half points.
The first five minutes of the second half followed suit. Both teams continued to play inspired defense and match their opponent, with the lead staying stagnant at two. The Bearcats retained that lead with a score of 44-42 with about 15 minutes left to play.
Over the next eight minutes, the Bearcat offense fully turned it on. They scored 21 points on 9-14 shooting from the field. In the halfcourt they moved the ball effectively to find the best scoring opportunity and they got out and ran in transition, highlighted best by a thunderous one handed slam from Gales. Ostrowski once again paced the offense with a quick 10 points in this stretch. This scoring outburst allowed Saint Vincent to really grow their lead, being up 65-55 with eight minutes to play.
Over the next four minutes the game settled into a strong defensive effort and both teams matching every bucket. This was perfectly fine for Saint Vincent this time around as they were able to maintain, and even slightly expand their lead. They led 72-61 with about four minutes to go.
The Bearcats would later hold on for the nine point victory.
It was a stellar second half offensively for the Bearcats as they put up 44 points on 57% shooting from the field and 44% from deep. Ostrowski and Gales led the way with 12 each, just relentlessly attacking in transition to get inside or find the best shot from outside. As a team they passed well, limited turnovers, and rarely settled for bad shots.
The Bearcats will look to keep the win streak going back home against Bethany this Wednesday, February 19. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Robert S. Carey Center.
