Sophomore David Stephen scored 23 points, a career high, to lead Saint Vincent to a 81-67 victory over Wesley College in the first day of the Marietta Shrine Tournament, hosted by Marietta College in Ohio.

Wesley got off to a quick start, opening a 5-0 lead, before Cletus Helton got the Bearcats on the board, followed by a Mike Simmons three that tied the game.  However, the opponents were strong in the early minutes, taking a 20-13 lead over SVC just six minutes into play.  

Andrew Reed then provided a spark off the bench for Saint Vincent, scoring eight straight points, including a pair of three pointers, to give SVC a 21-20 lead at the 11:45 mark.  

Once again, however, Wesley came back, holding a 38-36 advantage with just under three minutes left in the half.  Stephen then caught fire, hitting back to back threes to make it 42-38.  Tom Kromka finished the half with straight points, as the Bearcats used the 10-point run to go into the locker room with a 46-38 advantage.

Wesley regrouped and started the second half strong, cutting the margin to just one, 51-50, five minutes into play.  Three minutes later, the Bearcats found themselves behind by two points, 58-56.  However, the team rallied for a 10-point run, with four players scoring.  Kromka started the rally with a layup, then Helton followed with a pair of free throws.  Kromka added two more points, assisted by Drew Normandin, then Stephen hit a jumper.  Normandin completed the run with a score of his own, putting SVC in front, 66-58.  The team never looked back.

Stephen's 23 points came on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor and 4-4 at the free throw line.  Kromka added 15 points and 6 rebounds, along with two blocks.  Josh Duda scored 11, and Reed finished with 8 points.  Ryan Dutton had 7 points and 7 rebounds, while Normandin paced the team with 8 rebounds.  He also had 5 assists against no turnovers.

The Bearcats (3-0) will return to action on Saturday (November 17) against the winner of the Marietta/La Roche game.