The SVC men's basketball team defeated Penn State-Fayette by a score of 101-80 in the 2016-17 home opener at the Carey Center.

Right from the start, the game was a back and forth contest. Starting from the opening tip, each team's first possession resulted in back-to-back turnovers before both sides settled down. Eventually the Bearcats found their groove while starting the game's scoring on a 7-0 run capped off with an emphatic dunk by Austin Dedertwith 16:43 left in the half.

After the Lions began on a run of their own, sophomore guard Mike Simmons hit his first of four from behind the arc, including a buzzer-beater before the half and finishing his night with 12 points. Junior guard Matt D'Amico also made his presence known hitting his first three shots and making 6-7 from the charity stripe.  Another first half standout was Tom Kromka, junior forward, who nearly had a double-double after the first 20 minutes with 8 points and 10 rebounds.

D'Amico began the second half where he left off, scoring a new career high 27 points after finishing an and-one with 4:17 left to play.

Withstanding some good shooting performances from the Lions, the Bearcats outhustled their opponents on the boards, capturing 52 rebounds compared to the Lions' 29. In a half that was flooded with fouls, both teams had to fight off trouble as they both accrued double-digit fouls barely 10 minutes into the second half.

In the end, it was some clutch shooting by the Bearcats that outlasted any chances of a Lions' comeback.

For Saint Vincent, D'Amico led all scorers with 27 followed by 14 from Kromka and 12 from Simmons. For Penn State Fayette, Spencer Pereiff put up 27 points as well while Dominick Jackson netted 20.

Kromka ended the night with 13 rebounds for his first career double-double.  Dedert added 9 boards while D'Amico tallied seven.  D'Amico and Coy Patterson each recorded 4 assists.

After the home-opening win, Saint Vincent climbs to 2-2 overall as they prepare for the Carnegie Mellon Tournament in Pittsburgh, PA on November 26/27. With the loss, Penn State-Fayette falls to 1-4 this season.