Senior Sean Kett scored a career best 28 points to lead the Bearcats to a 78-58 victory over Thiel, as Saint Vincent clinched the #1 seed in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

Things started well for the visiting Tomcats, scoring the game's first seven points.  SVC got on the board with an Austin Dedert putback at the 18:05 mark.  After Thiel scored to make it 9-2, the Bearcats embarked on a 7-point run, capped by a Pat Jones three-pointer that tied the game.

A traditional three-point play from Bobby Swartwout at the 13:47 mark gave the hosts their first lead of the evening, but the advantage would change hands several times over the next four minutes.  The Bearcats forged to the front 22-19 with a Kory Schulz three at the 9:40 mark, but the lead once again bounced back and forth until Kett stepped outside and hit a three with under six minutes to go to give SVC a 30-27 lead.  

After a Thiel bucket made it a one-point game (32-31) with four minutes left in the half, the Bearcats took control, scoring 8 straight points to end the half.  Jaylon Bell started the run by drawing a foul and hitting both free throws, followed by a Kett drive.  Kett then hit a turnaround jumper at the 1:35 mark, and Bell ended the run with a drive through the lane that made it 40-31 at the halftime break.

The Bearcat run extended into the second half, as Kett and Jones scored a combined five points to make it a 45-31 lead at the 18:30 mark.  Three minutes later, a layup by Kett ran the lead to 17, 52-35, and later a dunk by Dedert made it a 23-point game, 58-35, with 12:50 to go.  

At the 8:15 mark, Kett hit a pair of free throws that gave him a new career high of 22 on the night, and he punctuated the effort less than 30 seconds later, as the lane opened and he closed with a drive and dunk that made the score 62-44.

Ben Klimchock hit back-to-back long threes on the Bearcats' next two possessions, as the Bearcats went on to the 20-point victory.

Kett closed the night with 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Jones tallied 15 points and six boards.  Klimchock added 9 points, while Bell scored 7.

Thiel (8-7 PAC, 12-12 overall) was led by Eric Mallinger's 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Saint Vincent is now 13-2 in the conference (18-6 overall) and has clinched the top spot in the PAC.  The team will host Thomas More College on Saturday, which will be Senior Day in the Carey Center.  Tipoff is 4PM.

The Bearcats will host a first-round playoff game on Tuesday night in the Carey Center at 7PM.  The opponent will be determined Monday night by the #8/#9 seed play-in game.  Tickets for Tuesday's game will go on sale Thursday (February 19) in the SVC Athletic Office.  Call 724-805-2111 for more information.