December 5, 2015

Wolverines stay atop Presidents' Athletic Conference

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College men's basketball team maintained a share of first place in the Presidents' Athletic Conference by pulling out a 75-71 win Saturday afternoon over Waynesburg in the Grove City College Arena.

After holding a 33-30 halftime lead, Grove City (5-2, 2-0) trailed 38-36 early in the second half. The Wolverines surged ahead for good with an 8-2 run that senior guard Joe Vermilya (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview) capped with a three-pointer.

Waynesburg trimmed the lead to 52-51 before the teams exchanged baskets five straight possessions. Senior swingman Caleb Knudsen (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pius X) drilled a jumper to give Grove City a 60-57 lead and after a defensive stop, Knudsen hit a three-pointer.

Knudsen rifled in a game-high 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.

Down the stretch, Grove City held Waynesburg without a field goal for over four minutes. Waynesburg whittled the lead to 73-71 with five seconds left but Vermilya's two free throws sealed the win.

Vermilya finished with 11 points while senior guard Stephen Tam (Hamilton, Mass./Hamilton-Wenham) added 10 points. Sophomore forward Andrew Beckman (Shelby, Mich./Shelby) recorded nine points and a game-high eight rebounds. Beckman also had a team-leading three assists.

Grove City outrebounded Waynesburg, 39-27. Grove City shot 23 of 50 (46 percent) from the field for the game while Waynesburg went 25 of 56 (45 percent). Grove City had 12 turnovers while Waynesburg committed eight miscues.

Nate Labishak led Waynesburg with 18 points.

Grove City will host Houghton in non-conference play Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in the Grove City College Arena.

Box Score