January 10, 2009
Comeback falls short at Bethany
BETHANY, W. Va. -- The Grove City College men's basketball team dropped to 7-5 overall and 2-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon with a 76-72 setback against host Bethany in a PAC clash at Hummel Field House.
Grove City trailed by as many as 19 in the first half before charging back in the second half. The Wolverines eventually trimmed the lead to six, 68-62, with two minutes left on a three-point goal by senior guard Joe McCoy (Newark, Ohio/Newark). However, Bethany guard Lance Beckwith answered with a three-pointer of his own moments later to help the Bison ward off Grove City's comeback effort.
Grove City shot 50 percent (17 of 34) from the field in the second half and had just five turnovers over the final 20 minutes. Senior guard Ryan Gibson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. McCoy added 16 points for Grove City while junior center Andy O'Keefe (Perry, Ohio/Perry) and freshman guard Cody Fleeger (Butler, Pa./Butler) both had 10 points each.
Grove City led 14-11 in the first half before Bethany (8-6, 3-1) embarked on a 23-1 run that gave the Bison their 19-point advantage. Grove City went over nine minutes without a field goal during the run as the Wolverines went 0-for-12 from the floor. Grove City finished the game 28 of 64 (44 percent) from the field.
Senior forward John Scheller (Frisco, Texas/Hoover, Ohio) added nine points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Wolverines. Gibson added four assists.
Beckwith and Joe Testa each paced Bethany with 15 points. Bethany shot 24 of 62 (39 percent) from the field and owned a 43-39 advantage on the glass.
Grove City will host Waynesburg Wednesday night in Presidents' Athletic Conference play at 8 p.m.
Go back to Wolverine Basketball Home Page