PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Jan. 27) – The Saint Vincent men's basketball team eaerned a 66-49 victory over the Chatham Cougars in Presidents' Athletic Conference play in front of a lively crowd at the Chatham Athletics and Fitness Center.

After allowing Chatham to shoot 55 percent in the first half, the Bearcats defense clamped down and limited the Cougars to just 17 in the second half.

Both teams traded scoring in the opening stages of the first half. SVC took its first lead of the contest when senior Bobby Swartwout made four straight free throws, giving the Bearcats a 10-6 advantage at the 14:47 mark.

Ben Klimchock added a pair of free throws and a two-point field goal, pushing the SVC edge to 14-9. Chatham knocked down a three-pointer for the second straight possession, pulling within two at 14-12.

After senior Jaylon Bell split a pair of free throws, Chatham knocked down a three-pointer tying the score at 15-15. SVC answered back with five straight points, capped by a three by senior Geoff FuQuay at the 10:41 mark of the first half.

The Bearcats held a 21-19 lead before seeing the host Cougars use a 7-0 run to surge into a 26-21 lead. Bell would counter with a layup and a pair of free throws, bringing SVC within a point at 26-25 with 5:17 to play in the opening half of play.

Later on in the half, JC Howard would knock down back-to-back jumpers in the paint, giving SVC a 31-29 lead at the 1:22 mark. Chatham would get a three-pointer with 49 seconds left in the half to take a 32-31 lead into the halftime break.

The upstart Cougars shot 55 percent from the field in the half, while limiting SVC to just a 39.1 percent clip. Chatham drained four of the seven three-point attempts in the opening half. Playing with a distinct height advantage, SVC held a 14-11 edge in rebounding in the first.

Howard knocked down a jumper and Klimchock drained a three to allow SVC to open the second half on a 5-0 run for a 36-32 lead. Chatham came right back and used a three-pointer of its own to pull within one at 38-37.

Bell used a steal and a layup on the fast break to push the lead to 40-37 at the 14:05 mark of the second half. Bell would add a step-back jumper to push the SVC edge to 42-37.

A jumper by FuQuay and a free throw by Swartwout made it 46-39 SVC with 10:41 to play. Chatham would answer back with a jumper and a three-pointer to cut the Bearcats' advantage to just 46-44 with 9:50 to play.

That is when SVC took control of the contest, using a 20-5 run over the final 9:50 of play for the victory.

Bell led with a game-high 17 points, while also chipping in 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Swartwout just missed a double-double, tallying 11 points and 9 rebounds. Howard chipped in 11 points to round out the trio of Bearcats in double figures.

The victory improves Saint Vincent to 14-4 overall and 10-1 in the league. Chatham falls to 4-14 overall and 4-7 in the PAC.

The Bearcats return to action when they host Geneva College at the Carey Center on Saturday, Jan. 30. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.