Men's Basketball Advances to RSC Semifinal Round

RICHMOND, In. – The Brescia University Men's Basketball team broke a 10-year, post-season game losing streak as they defeated IU East on the road in the first round of the River States Conference Tournament. The 99-90-win marks the first post-season win since the 2014-15 season where the Bearcats hosted and defeated IU-Kokomo.

The Bearcats started on a cold streak as they quickly fell to a 15-8 deficit against the Redwolves. A three pointer by John Saenz and a baseline jumper from Linkin Lockhart got the Bearcats within two of the lead. A layup in traffic for Xavi Tirado gave BU their first lead of the game. Back-to-back shots from deep by Mike Caswell and Damian Garcia got the Bearcats rolling as they started to find their rhythm. With under a minute left in the half, Saenz put the Bearcats up two with his second three of the night. Garcia closed out the first half with a buzzer beater three to give BU the five-point advantage going into the half.

A 12-6 run by the Bearcats to start off the second half gave them their biggest lead of the night at 11. The Redwolves were relentless behind the arc as their shots started to fall from deep. The back-and-forth match continued until the Bearcats maintained an 11-point lead at the two-minute mark. BU shocked the #2 seeded Redwolves on their home turf with a final score of 99-90.

Damian Garcia led the Bearcats with a near triple double as he totaled 30 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds playing the entire 40 minutes of the match. John Saenz followed with 24 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.

The Bearcats will head to Terre Haute, IN to take on the #1 seeded Pomeroys of St. Mary of the Woods this Saturday, March 1, at 12pm CT.