PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Nov. 21) – A strong shooting performance guided Chatham University over Saint Vincent by a 70-64 margin in the Presidents' Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
 
Saint Vincent got out to an early 7-3 just two minutes into the contest, using baskets by Matt D'Amico and Jason Capco then a three-point play by Tom Kromka.
 
After Chatham took its first lead of the contest, sophomore Collin Neville connected on a jumper to make it 9-8 SVC with 15:00 remaining in the first half.
 
A 5-0 run gave Chatham the lead but sophomore Josh Duda drained a three-point basket to tie the game at 14-14 with 11:51 left in the half.
 
The host Cougars would use an 11-4 run to take a 25-18 lead, capped by a jumper from Curtis Perz at the 7:03 mark. SVC would respond with a 6-0 run, getting a jumper from Neville and four straight points from Kromka, to make it 25-24.
 
However, Chatham would use an 11-2 run to take a double-digit (36-26) lead over the Bearcats 36-26 halftime lead.
 
Chatham shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the field in the first half, while SVC made just 35.7 percent of its field goals over the first 20 minutes. With a significant size advantage, the Bearcats out-rebounded the Cougars 20-13.
 
Faced with a double-digit deficit, Saint Vincent was forced to attempt to claw back in the second half. The Bearcats would use an 11-5 run to cut the deficit to just four points (41-37) with 14:22 to play. However, Chatham answered right back with a three-point basket by Buzz Walker to slow the Bearcats' run.
 
The Cougars eventually pushed the lead into double figures when Logan Hunter connected on a three-pointer to make it 55-45 with just over nine minutes to play.
 
Coy Patterson Jr. split a pair of free throws and Neville would add a layup after an offensive rebound to make it 55-48 with eight minutes remaining. The Bearcats had a chance to cut the deficit to five but missed a pair of free throws. Chatham would take advantage, draining a three from straight on to make it 58-48 with 6:22 remaining.
 
Trailing 62-52 with 4:28 to play, Saint Vincent used a 9-1 run to cut the deficit to just four points (63-59) with 2:25 left. Simmons sparked the run with a three and Patterson would tack on the next four points to give the Bearcats life.
 
However, Chatham got a three-pointer with one second remaining on the shot clock by Perz to make it 66-59 and put a serious hit into the Bearcats' comeback attempt with just 1:51 to play.
 
Saint Vincent would cut the deficit to four points (68-64) with 25 seconds left but could get no closer as Chatham earned the victory.
 
Kromka led SVC with a team-high 17 points and 8 rebounds. Patterson Jr. added 11 points and three assists in the loss. Isaiah Brown poured in 20 points to lead all scorers for the Cougars.
 
Chatham connected on 50.9 percent from the field, including an 8-for-20 performance from the three-point line. Saint Vincent shot 44.4 percent, including a 53.8 percentage in the second half. The Bearcats out-rebounded the Cougars by a 41-26 margin. However, turnovers plagued SVC in the loss, as they committed 17 in the setback.
 
The Bearcats return to action when they host Penn State Beaver in non-conference play at the Carey Center on Sunday, Nov. 26.  Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.