KINGSPORT, Tenn. - St. Thomas (2-3) was undone by the narrowest of margins against the West Virginia Institute of Technology (5-3).  After two virtually even halves of play, the Golden Bears barely held on for the one point victory, 61-60.  This afternoon's leading scorers were Michael Walker and Tim Sada, who each racked up 13 points.

Both teams appeared evenly matched throughout.  Each side traded baskets in the early goings of the first.  Tied at 10, the Golden Bears would build their largest lead of the half off a quick 5-0 run.  The run was sparked by the three-pointer of Eddie Gordon and a Matthew Kallead two-pointer.

The Bobcats would respond with six consecutive, unanswered points.  Miguel Martin made room in the paint for an easy layup, and then James Vice and Walker converted back-to-back fastbreak opportunities into more Bobcat buckets.

The two teams would continue to trade baskets.  Down 21-20, Gordon would hit another three-pointer to earn back the Golden Bear lead.  Ra'Shaud Kincaid would add another basket to increase their lead to 25-21.  Maxwell Webster would convert two free throws to cut the West Virginia Tech lead to 25-23 before the half.

The Golden Bears got off to a strong start in the second.  After two free throws by Kincaid, the Bobcats suddenly found themselves down by nine, 40-31, with 12:38 to go.  With 3:26 on the clock, West Virginia Tech built their largest lead of the game at 59-48.

Sensing the game was slipping away, the Bobcats responded from deep.  Armand Shoon, Walker, and Sada each hit the long ball during a 10-0 run to bring St. Thomas within one.  After two Golden Bear free throws, Walker found Martin for two to again cut the lead to one.

The Bobcats would come up with a pivotal stop on the Golden Bears next offensive possession, with Shoon grabbing the most important defensive rebound of the match.  However, the Bobcats would come up short their next time down the court.  Despite two cracks at the basket, both Vice and Shoon missed their attempts at the game-winning bucket.

In addition to the efforst of Walker and Sada, the Bobcats were also aided by the efforts of Martin and Vice.  Martin had his best outing of the season, scoring 12 points on 6-9 shooting.  He also hit the boards and grabbed eight rebounds.  Vice finished with 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists.

The Bobcats close out the NAIA DII Showcase tomorrow at 3 P.M., when they face Cincinnati Christian.  Sunday's matches will continue to be played at the Meadoview Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport, Tennessee.  Live stats and video live stream will be available at the following link - http://portal.stretchinternet.com/rio.