Men’s Basketball opens season with loss at Saint Vincent

LATROBE, Pa. --- Carlow University men's basketball opened the 2024-25 season with an 84-68 loss to Saint Vincent College on the road Friday night.

The Celtics fell behind, 43-27, in the first half before scoring the same number of points in the second half against the Bearcats with 41.

Senior guard Riley Comforti (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland HS/Alderson-Broaddus University) led Carlow with 15 points off the bench, and newcomer Evan Hauser (Buffalo, N.Y./Westfield Academy/Wells College) added 10 points off the bench in the second half. Devin Lewis (Warrenton, Va./Fauquier HS/Pitt Bradford) grabbed eight boards, and Nehemiah Brazil (Pittsburgh, Pa./Nazareth Prep HS) dished out three assists in the effort.

Jimmy Giannetta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Saint Joseph HS) put in a layup to tie the game at 8-all five minutes in, and a tip-in from DeJuan Allen (Atlanta, Ga./Marietta HS) put Carlow ahead, 10-9. The teams traded leads up and down the court before a Bearcats layup set off a 9-0 run that spanned over four minutes. Jordan Cannon (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/West Virginia Wesleyan) sank a trey to snap Carlow's scoring draught, with the Celtics now trailing, 22-15.

Saint Vincent held Carlow scoreless for another three minutes later in the half, stringing together a 10-0 run that put the Bearcats up, 34-20, with under five minutes remaining. Comforti scored twice and sank a free throw, but those were the only points Saint Vincent allowed to take a 43-27 lead into halftime.

The Bearcats shot just under 50 percent from the field (32 for 67) and from beyond the arc (9 for 19), and held a narrow 43-37 margin in rebounds on the night.

Dev Ostrowski led Saint Vincent with a game-high 18 points, and three other starters tallied double figures in the win.

Carlow hosts Fifth Ave. foe Chatham University for its home-opener at Donahue Pavilion Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.