January 29, 2011
Grove City whips Waynesburg
WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- The Grove City College men's basketball team picked up its first road win of the 2010-11 season Saturday afternoon by earning a 46-39 victory over host Waynesburg in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at Rudy Marisa Field House.
Grove City used a 9-2 run coming down the stretch to put away the game. Grove City led 21-12 at halftime but Waynesburg (5-14, 2-7 PAC) pulled to within 30-28 with 8:23 left. The Wolverines countered, however, with back-to-back layups from sophomore forward Steve Battaglia (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) and senior forward Luke Tomaselli (Cresson, Pa./Penn Cambria).
The Wolverines then sealed the win with 7-for-8 marksmanship at the foul line in the final minute. Junior center Kris Verderber (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) hit three of four while senior guard Bryn Moran (Columbus, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) and sophomore forward Nate Rambacher (Newmanstown, Pa./Eastern Lebanon) both hit two free throws.
Verderber led Grove City with a dozen points while Moran and Tomaselli scored nine each. Grove City shot 40 percent (15 of 38) from the field. Defensively, the Wolverines limited Waynesburg to 33 percent (15 of 46) shooting from the field.
Junior guard Cody Fleeger (Butler, Pa./Butler) grabbed eight rebounds to help the Wolverines earn a 32-25 edge on the glass. Tomaselli handed out three assists.
Grove City took control of the game with a 13-2 run over the final nine minutes of the first half. Tomaselli sparked the run with consecutive baskets and Moran added a three-point play. Freshman guard Evan Schell (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oliver) capped the outburst with a jumper.
Jeff Young led Waynesburg with 14 points. The Yellow Jackets went 1 for 15 on three-point attempts.
The 12 points are the fewest allowed in a half by Grove City since February 17, 1999, when Grove City limited D'Youville to nine points in the first half of a 73-28 Wolverine win.
Waynesburg fell to 0-7 at home this year.
Grove City (5-14, 2-8 PAC) will visit Mount Aloysius Wednesday night in non-conference action.
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