Admission is free for Saint Vincent men’s games, but some fans might gladly shell out a few bucks to watch this exciting brand of basketball.
If you do attend a game, you probably want to stay until the end. The Bearcats (12-0) are making a habit out of tight finishes, some as close as they are thrilling.
They went 2-0 at the Cruzin Classic in Miami, Fla., winning both games with late-game heroics.
A scooping layup by senior Taylor McNeal beat the final buzzer in overtime to lift SVC to a 94-92 win over Benedictine.
Senior Osyon Jones finished out regulation with a layup on a fast break with about two seconds left to make it 83-83 in a game that had 14 lead changes.
Sophomore Jaden Gales had 30 points and 13 rebounds, while sophomore Dev Ostrowski added 25 points, including 4 of 5 3-pointers, and Jones scored 20.
Tayler McNeal's overtime buzzer-beater that lifted @SVCHoops to a 94-92 win, moving to 11-0 on the season. #SVC #GoBearcats #d3hoops #PAC pic.twitter.com/tX3G8VDf4y
— SVC Bearcats (@SVC_Bearcats) December 21, 2023
But the fun was just starting.
In the second game, the Bearcats flexed their offensive and defensive muscles all at once during a dramatic back-and-forth in the final seconds.
Ostrowski drained a deep, straightaway 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to put the Bearcats up by one point, then Gales came out of nowhere to pin a potential game-winning layup off the glass as time expired.
The emphatic block sealed a 79-78 victory over Simpson College.
“Santa Claus delivered it early,” Bearcats coach D.P. Harris said. “It was (assistant coach) Walter Bonds who drew up that play. We call it Walter. That was a big play at the end. … And Jaden made a big play, a block at the end, that we’ll remember for a while.”
After another crazy finish in Miami, @SVCHoops extends its winning streak to 1️⃣2️⃣! https://t.co/h2QAQh4h4U
— SVC Bearcats (@SVC_Bearcats) December 22, 2023
.@SVCHoops head coach @DP_Harris_ talks about Dev Ostrowski's game-winning three-pointer that lifted the Bearcats to a 79-79 win over Simpson at the Cruzin' Classic, and moved their record to a perfect 12-0. #SVC #GoBearcats #d3hoops pic.twitter.com/c63vyAQLsX
— SVC Bearcats (@SVC_Bearcats) December 22, 2023
We caught up with Dev Ostrowski, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer, and Jaden Gales, who saved @SVCHoops' 79-78 win over Simpson with a block at the buzzer. #SVC #GoBearcats #d3hoops pic.twitter.com/TOsfOqT0Tl
— SVC Bearcats (@SVC_Bearcats) December 22, 2023
Jones had 23 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Mike Iuzzolino scored 17, including five 3s.
Gales chipped in 15 and Ostrowski had 14.
“I knew that shot was going in as soon as I shot it,” Ostrowski said. “I just felt it. (Gales) saved us the game.”
As for the block, Gales said: “I had to fly and get it. If I didn’t, we would have lost.”
Earlier this season, the Bearcats clipped visiting Geneva, 72-70, on a thrilling putback by Jones with 2.3 seconds remaining.
SVC returns to action Jan. 3 at home against Allegheny College.
