February 8, 2010
Wolverines edge Bethany on Fleeger 3
BETHANY, W. Va. ' Sophomore guard Cody Fleeger (Butler, Pa./Butler) fired in a three-point goal with 1.1 seconds left Monday night to lift the Grove City College men's basketball team to a 71-68 victory over host Bethany in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at Hummel Field House. It is Grove City's sixth consecutive victory. The Wolverines are now 14-7 overall and atop the conference with an 8-2 league mark.
Grove City gained possession with 36 seconds left after sophomore guard Brett Matson (Wexford, Pa./Pine-Richland) drew a five-second closely guarded violation on Bethany guard James Barton. The Wolverines worked the shot clock down and after receiving a pass from senior guard Joe McCoy (Newark, Ohio/Newark), Fleeger drained an open three-pointer from the top of the key.
Fleeger's three-pointer capped Grove City's comeback from a 14-point deficit over the final 14 minutes of the game. Bethany took a 48-34 lead but Grove City charged back. Matson helped fuel the comeback with a three-pointer and a layup that cut the lead to 53-46.
Grove City forged a 58-58 tie with 6:45 left on consecutive baskets from sophomore forward Drew Vandermeer (Clarion, Pa./Clarion). The Wolverines then took their first lead of the second half, 63-60, on a three from McCoy at the 3:45 mark.
Grove City shot 17 of 24 (71 percent) from the field in the second half. For the game, the Wolverines shot 62 percent (28 of 45) from the floor.
Matson led Grove City with 16 points and seven assists while senior center Andy O'Keefe (Perry, Ohio/Perry) recorded 15 points. Vandermeer finished with 10 points. McCoy added nine points and four assists. Fleeger also had four assists.
Matson and McCoy both had four rebounds to help Grove City own a 27-24 edge on the glass.
Ryan McFadden paced Bethany (14-7, 6-4 PAC) with 15 points while Joe Testa had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Bethany shot 45 percent (25 of 56) from the field for the game. The Bison also shot 7 for 15 (47 percent) on three-point goals in the second half.
A three-point play from senior guard Andrew DiDonato (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) with 11:51 left in the first half gave Grove City its biggest lead of the first half, 17-13.
DiDonato's five points helped Grove City own an 18-9 edge in bench scoring.
It is Grove City's first win at Bethany in seven years. The Wolverines had not swept Bethany in the regular season since 2000.
Grove City will host Thiel Wednesday at 8 p.m. in conference play at the Grove City College Arena.
GROVE CITY'S 1,000-POINT CLUB
1-Jeff Claypool (1965-69)
2,234
2-Bob Crow (1979-83) 1,450
3-Joe Buckley (1985-89) 1,413
4-John Cochran (1966-70) 1,352
5-Tanner Prosser (1999-2003) 1,263
6-Mark Timko (1991-94) 1,255
7-Fred Schwab (1970-74) 1,215
8-Deron Ryan (1984-88) 1,205
9-Tim Mokma (1987-91) 1,197
10-Bill Fox (1975-79) 1,192
11-Tom Robinson (1957-62) 1,181
12-Mark Smith (1979-83) 1,171
13-Jim Wherley (1993-97) 1,162
14-Bart Niemeyer (1958-62) 1,145
15-Shawn Carr (2004-08) 1,121
16-Benjamin Davis (1990-94) 1,094
17-Ryan Gibson (2005-09) 1,079
18-Dave Marovich (1962-65) 1,072
19-Ron Arrington (1962-66) 1,069
20-Ryan Eller (2001-05) 1,068
21-ANDY O'KEEFE (2006-) 1,055
22-Mike Donahoe (1975-79) 1,051
23-Dan Von Handorf (1992-96) 1,029
24-Dutch Leonard (1955-59) 1,013
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