January 22, 2014
Grove City moves to 5-3 in conference
GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College men's basketball team improved to 5-3 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference by earning a 77-69 victory over visiting Westminster at the Grove City College Arena Wednesday night.
Junior forward Brian Giesler (Harrisville, Pa./Slippery Rock) fired in a game-high 22 points, including six three-point goals, for Grove City (8-8 overall) while junior guard Mitch Marmelstein (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./St. Margaret's) tossed in 12 points. Sophomore center Erik Carlstrom (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) added 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting.
Junior guards J.T. Schwartz (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) and Christian Durbin (Harmony, Pa./Seneca Valley) combined for 14 of Grove City's 22 assists. Schwartz posted eight assists and Durbin added six assists.
Defensively, Grove City held Westminster to just one field goal over the final six minutes of the first half, helping the Wolverines take a 43-32 lead into halftime. Schwartz hit a three-pointer and Marmelstein added two foul shots early in the second half to give Grove City its biggest lead of the game, 48-34.
Westminster (3-14, 2-6 PAC) closed to within three points on three different occasions over the final 10 minutes. Giesler's sixth three-pointer of the night doubled Grove City's lead to 71-65 with 1:46 left and the Wolverines then sealed the win with 6-for-7 marksmanship at the foul line in the final minute.
Grove City shot 28 for 58 (48 percent) from the floor, including 12 three-pointers as a team. Westminster went 25 for 54 (46 percent) from the floor. Grove City committed just nine turnovers while Westminster had 15 turnovers.
Schwartz and sophomore forward Tyler Patterson (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) both had five rebounds for Grove City. Westminster held a 32-30 advantage on the glass. John Arcuri led Westminster with 21 points.
Grove City is now 4-0 at home in conference play. The Wolverines open the second half of the conference schedule Saturday at Thomas More. Tip-off is 3 p.m.
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