Pat Jones scored 16 points and Saint Vincent shot 61% from the field in the second half, as the Bearcats pulled out a victory over Geneva, 72-63 in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup.
Both teams started slow offensively, as the first half quickly became a back and fourth contest. Junior Pat Jones began the scoring for the Bearcats, finishing a put-back bucket followed by a fade away jumper giving SVC an early 4-3 lead.
The Golden Tornadoes would take a 10-9 lead until freshman Austin Dedert finished a two-handed slam, giving SVC an 11-10 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half. The Bearcats would eventually gain a 6-point advantage, highlighted by a JC Howard layup and a Jaylon Bell trey.
Geneva persistently stormed back; regaining a 24-22 edge with 1:47 left in the first half. Jones and Howard hit deep threes on consecutive possessions to regain a 28-26 lead. Geneva capitalized on their final possession, sending both teams into the locker room tied at 28 a piece.
Jones scored 9 first half points to spark the Bearcat offense.
The second half replicated the first, with six lead changes in the first 7 minutes of play. Geneva drew blood first, regaining a 30-28 advantage in the first minutes of the half. Senior Sean Kett would tie the contest up once again 30-30, until the Golden Tornadoes regained the lead the following possession.
Jones then hit a trey at the 17:06 mark, regaining SVC's advantage at 37-36. Geneva immediately regained the lead following Jones' three, and the back and forth action continued until 13:50 remained in the game, as Howard would score on a fast break off a Jones assist. The Bearcats wouldn't trail the remainder of the contest, leading by as many as 14 points.
Howard continued to heat up, as he hit from long range once again, making the score 46-41 with 12:27 remaining in the second half. SVC's lead would build, as Geoff FuQuay stole the ball and dished to Howard on a fast break making the score 52-41 Bearcats.
Geneva would score 6 straight points, closing the gap to four, until Bell hit a free throw making the score 55-50 with a little over 8 minutes remaining. Howard hit his third trey with 5:28 left, followed by a Jones left-handed layup making the score 63-53. Bell would make the score 67-53 SVC, as he danced around his defender and drove to the hoop.
Geneva hit a three with 12 seconds left, but their late momentum would not be enough as Saint Vincent earned the 9-point victory.
Jones led the Bearcats with 16 points, making 7-11 field goals. Howard scored 15, making 3-6 from long range. Bell rounded out the SVC double-figure scoring, dropping 11, while hauling in a team high 7 rebounds. Saint Vincent shot 54% for the game, shooting 38% from three-point range.
For Geneva, Tyler Damazo scored 17 points and grabbed 5 boards.
Saint Vincent (5-3, 2-0 PAC) returns to action December 15 at 4:00 pm, home against Catholic University.