LATROBE, Pa. – Despite building a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter, the Case Western Reserve University football team fell to host Saint Vincent College by a score of 23-20 on Saturday afternoon at Chuck Noll Field. The win snaps a 23-game losing streak for the Bearcats.

CWRU (1-1, 1-1 PAC) suffers its first loss following a bye week since October 7, 2006 and its first loss in the state of Pennsylvania since November 4, 2006. Saint Vincent (1-2, 1-0 PAC) had not won a game since November 12, 2011.

The Spartans led 20-10 with 7:29 remaining in the third quarter after senior quarterback Billy Beecher (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area) threw his second touchdown of the game, a 12-yarder to senior tight end George Darany (Northville, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central). However, the Bearcats would end the contest with 13 unanswered points, including the eventual game-winning 31-yard field goal off of the foot of Morgan Porter with 9:19 left to play.

Beecher finished the game 22-of-35 for 183 yards, but he was sacked three times and limited to 27 yards rushing on 14 carries. Darany posted career bests of five receptions and 92 yards receiving. The other two CWRU scores came courtesy of junior fullback Adam Hochman (Austin, Texas/Anderson), who found the endzone via both the ground and the air for his second career two-touchdown game.

Andy Borgen came off of the bench for Saint Vincent and completed 13-of-18 passes for 215 yards. Running back Shavonta Craft rushed for 65 yards and two scores while adding seven receptions for 80 yards. Derek Yanosick hauled in four catches for 116 yards as the Bearcats outgained CWRU, 408-273.

The first score of the game came at 4:50 of the first quarter when Porter capped a 13-play, 61-yard Saint Vincent drive with a 31-yard field goal.

The Spartans then scored 13 in a row in the second quarter with a one-yard Beecher to Hochman TD pass at 7:37 and a one-yard Hochman run at 3:24. The first extra-point attempt by sophomore kicker Nick Bavaro (Medina, Ohio/Medina) was blocked, but the second was true to give the Spartans a 13-3 advantage. Both drives covered 66 yards.

The Bearcats then grabbed possession and marched 73 yards on nine plays as Craft scored from one yard out with 14 seconds on the clock. Porter's PAT brought Saint Vincent to within three at 13-10.

After several drives fizzled out for both teams to start the second half, the Spartans scored for the final time when Beecher connected with Darany to cap a 10-play, 78-yard drive. Bavaro's second PAT pushed the CWRU lead to 20-10 with 7:29 left in the third.

The very next possession resulted in a score for Saint Vincent as Craft ran into the endzone from one yard out at the 4:44 mark. Another Morgan PAT cut the Spartan lead to 20-17.

Morgan later hit the tying field goal at 14:12 of the fourth quarter and the winner at 9:19. The final points of the game were set up by a CWRU fumble inside its own territory.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Tim Briercheck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) posted a career-best eight tackles. Fellow sophomore backer Zach Lyon (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) made five stops with a sack.

Matt Jenkins registered a game-high 10 tackles for the Bearcats, while Dwayne Hewitt forced and recovered the key fumble in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans return to action at home next Saturday, September 27 against Thiel College (Pa.) at 1:00 p.m. at DiSanto Field.