GREENVILLE, Pa. (Jan. 12) -- Saint Vincent College rallied from a 33-31 halftime deficit to outscore Thiel College 46-39 in the second half and post a 77-72 victory Saturday evening.
The Tomcats (5-7) finished with three players in double figures, led by senior forward Joe Herrmann (Hartstown/Jamestown) (Hartstown/Jamestown), who finshed with a game-high 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Devon Adams (Philadelphia, Pa./George Junior Republic) (Philadelphia/George Junior Republic) added 18 points and five rebounds while freshman forward Tommy Hall (Youngstown, Ohio/Campbell) (Youngstown, Ohio/Campbell) helped out with 13 points and three boards. Thiel finished the game shooting 52.2 percent (23-44) from the floor but managed to convert on just 22-of-36 free throw opportunities.
Saint Vincent (11-3) had a pair of players score 20 points in Joey Butler and Ian McCollough. Butler finished with 20 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals while McCollough added 20 points and seven rebounds. The Bearcats shot 41.1 percent (23-56) from the floor while knocking down 25-of-37 chances from the free throw line and 6-of-19 three-point attempts.
Butler's jumper at the 7:52 mark of the opening period gave the Bearcats a five-point lead (26-21), the largest lead for either squad in the first. Thiel finished the first half outscoring Saint Vincent 11-5 and went into the break with a 33-31 lead.
The second half started much as the first with neither team exceeding a three-point lead. Hall's jumper with 6:36 remaining tied the game at 63-63 before Mike Medved's jumper put the Bearcats back on top 65-63 with 6:18 to play. After McCollough's jumper pushed Saint Vincent up by six, 71-65, with just under three minutes remaining the Bearcats hit 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to extend their lead to eight, 77-69, with 18 seconds to play.
The Tomcats return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 16 when it hosts Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Westminster College. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
