November 18, 2011
Wolverines nipped in OT
BEAVER FALLS, Pa. -- The Grove City College men's basketball team dropped to 1-1 overall Friday night as Mount Union pulled out a 71-64 overtime victory over the Wolverines in the opening round of the Geneva College "Coaches vs. Cancer" Tournament at Metheny Field House.
Grove City (1-1) sent the game into overtime when freshman forward Christian Locher (Mars, Pa./Mars) drilled a buzzer-beating three-pointer to tie the game at 62. Locher's three-pointer capped a comeback in which the Wolverines erased an 11-point deficit over the final 9:35 of the second half. Grove City held Mount Union without a field goal for the final 8:10 of regulation.
However, Mount Union kept Grove City scoreless for all but the final four seconds of the five-minute overtime period.
Locher and freshman Mitch Marmelstein (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./St. Margaret's) led Grove City with 10 points each. Senior guard Brett Matson (Wexford, Pa./Pine-Richland) and junior forward Nate Rambacher (Newmanstown, Pa./Eastern Lebanon) both tossed in nine points while senior center Kris Verderber (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) and freshman guard J.T. Schwartz (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) scored eight apiece.
Grove City shot 21 of 59 (36 percent) from the field while Mount Union made 18 of 47 (38 percent) attempts. Mount Union owned a 40-37 edge in rebounds. Verderber grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for the Wolverines and Rambacher added six boards.
Schwartz had four assists and three steals. The Wolverines turned over the ball just 10 times. Mount Union led 29-24 at halftime. T.J. Gillespie led the Purple Raiders with 18 points.
Grove City will face Pitt-Greensburg at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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