Hoop Stories

We hope you enjoy some of these "Hoop Stories" from the nearly 75 years of basketball history at Saint Vincent. As we continue to dig through the archives, we'll be adding more stories to this page from time to time. If you have your own "Hoop Stories" to add, please drop an e-mail to sports@stvincent.edu.

1968: Robbed!

Saint Vincent was losing 80-79 to Carnegie Tech with five seconds remaining in the game. A Saint Vincent player took a shot and missed. The rebound was grabbed by a Carnegie player who thought time had expired and tossed the ball over his head…but two seconds remained on the clock. His throw went through the Saint Vincent basket as time expired, which should have given the Bearcats a victory. However, the referees looked at each other and ran off the court, not knowing what to do. The Bearcats were credited with the loss.

January 20, 1986: 8-Point Play

Bearcat guard Randy Jordan went up for a dunk after a fast break (2 points). At the same time, teammate Ron Rink was shoved in the back by an Alliance College player, and it was ruled to be an intentional foul. After Rink hit the first shot (3 points), the Alliance coach was called for a bench technical foul. Rink made his second free throw from the original foul (4 points), then hit both of the technical foul shots (6 points). Because of the technical, Saint Vincent was given the ball, and center Jim Moon hit a jumper for two to complete the “8-point play.” The Bearcats ultimately won the game by 17.

February 19, 1990: TP equals Pts.

The Bearcats defeated Point Park by one point – 82-81, thanks to the Point Park fans. When Point Park scored its first basket of the second half, their home fans showered the court with toilet paper, resulting in a technical foul. Bearcat Wally Jones hit both of the free throws, which proved to be crucial in the final outcome.

1991-92: Comeback Kids

The Bearcats got off to one of their worst starts ever…1-14, before a starting a major turnaround. The team won 14 of its next 15 games. They finished as NAIA District 18 champions with a 15-16 overall record, and Coach Matthews was honored as District 18 Coach of the Year.

January 28, 1995: Three-for-four

Marty Kohler led Saint Vincent to an 83-58 victory over Daemen College with a tremendous all-around game.  He had a triple-double, and nearly had a quadruple-double.  Kohler's final numbers for the game were 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals and 7 assists.  No other player in SVC history has recorded 10 steals in a game.

November 16, 2001: Like Father, Like Son

When freshman Jason Hasson made his first appearance in a Bearcat uniform, he became the first-ever second generation Bearcat basketball player.  In the late 1970s, Paul Hasson played for Coach Matthews and the Bearcats.  Nearly two decades later, his son Jason carried on the family tradition.  The next year, Paul's youngest son, Jonny, also joined the team.

November 22, 2002: Preseason Points

The Bearcats started the season a bit early…Saint Vincent held a 1-0 lead with 20:00 remaining on the clock in the first half of the first game of the season. Opponents Centennial College of Canada were called for a technical foul prior to the start of the game for dunking during pre-game warm-ups – something that is prohibited by NAIA rules. Senior forward Chris Williams hit one of the technical free throws to give the Bearcats the advantage before the opening tipoff. Saint Vincent never trailed, winning 89-51.

December 27, 2004: A win for the...blue & white?

For perhaps the first time ever, Bearcat fans were cheering for something other than the green & gold.  On the way to a two-day tournament at Palm Beach Atlantic University, the team had a stopover in Philadelphia.  While the players and coaches made it on the plane to Florida, their luggage -- including their uniforms -- didn't.  Saint Vincent was forced to borrow uniforms from the host school, and while wearing the Sailfish's blue & white, defeated Bethel College in overtime, 109-104.

February 2007-February 2009: 26...and counting

With a victory over Thomas More College on 2-21-09, the Bearcats concluded their second consecutive perfect season at home, and tallied their 26th straight win in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.  The streak began on February 7, 2007 with a win over Thiel.  The last time SVC lost in the Carey Center was 2-3-07, in overtime, to Washington & Jefferson.  The team was 13-0 at home during the 2007-08 season, and 11-0 in 2008-09.