PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Nov. 26) - Tom Kromka poured in a game-high 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Saint Vincent men's basketball team earned an 81-73 victory over Goucher College in the opening game of the Carnegie Mellon Tournament in Pittsburgh. 

Efficient offensive play led the Bearcats to the victory, as SVC converted 50.8 percent from the field (30-59), including hitting on 5-of-8 from behind the three-point line. 

Senior forward Austin Ford added a career-high 18 points to help guide the Bearcats to the victory. 

After Goucher raced out to an early 7-3 lead, Saint Vincent quickly countered back with a basket each from Kromka and Ford, tying the game up. The teams would trade baskets over the next few possessions before Goucher pushed the lead to six points (17-11) with 12:13 left in the opening half. SVC battled back with seven straight points, capped by a jumper by Matt D'Amico, giving the Bearcats a 18-17 edge with 9:46 to play in the first. 

The Bearcat lead swelled to eight points (29-21) when freshman Josh Duda drained a three-point bucket with 6:07 to play in the first half. Goucher chipped away, using a run to trail by just one (35-34) with 1:52 to play in the opening half. SVC answered back with a 7-0 run to finish the first half with a 42-34 lead. 

A jumper by D'Amico gave the Bearcats a double-digit (50-40) lead at the 16:30 mark of the second half. A three-pointer by Goucher brought the deficit to 59-57 with 10:52 left in the game. Shortly thereafter, SVC used a 10-0 run to push its lead to 72-61 with 5:28 left. The run was capped by a three-point play from Ford. Saint Vincent would hold a lead of at least eight points the rest of the way.

Kromka's effort was good for his second straight double-double. D'Amico chipped in 12 points to round out the Bearcats in double figures offensively. Austin Dedert matched a career-best six blocks in the win.

Saint Vincent outscored Goucher 29-14 in bench points in the contest.

The victory is the third straight for the Bearcats, who improved to 3-2 overall. Goucher drops to 1-4 for the season. Saint Vincent will take on host Carnegie Mellon in tomorrow's CMU DoubleTree Championship game at 3 p.m.