November 24, 2009
Wolverines roll past CMU in home opener
GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Four players scored in double figures Tuesday night in lifting the Grove City College women's basketball team to a 77-59 victory over visiting Carnegie Mellon (3-1) in non-conference action at the Grove City College Arena.
Junior forward Christine Slater (Aliquippa, Pa./Center) paced the Wolverines with 20 points and nine rebounds while senior forward Krista Beechy (Winesburg, Ohio/Berlin Hiland) and freshman guard Leah Gibson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) both fired in 11 points each.
Senior forward Laura Miller (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) added 10 points and six assists for Grove City, which shot 49 percent (32 of 65) from the field in the victory.
Carnegie Mellon jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first half but the Wolverines held CMU without a field goal for over 11 minutes. Grove City took its first lead of the game, 16-14, on a Gibson jumper at the 7:28 mark. The Wolverines pushed the lead to 26-18 with 2:53 left in the half on a putback by junior forward Alison Wells (Waterville, Vt./Lamoille Union) while Slater's offensive rebound and basket with five seconds left in the half gave Grove City a 34-25 halftime lead.
The lead grew to double-digits early in the second half as Gibson drilled a three-pointer at the 18:44 mark. Grove City led by as many as 23, 71-48, in the second half.
Miller also pulled down eight rebounds, helping Grove City own a 36-33 edge on the glass. Defensively, Grove City forced 26 turnovers. Carnegie Mellon converted 21 of 53 (39.6 percent) of its shots from the field.
Jacki Cortese led CMU with 22 points. She scored 18 of the Tartans' 25 first-half points. Nicole Vacarella added 14 points.
It is Grove City's first win in a home opener since 2004. The 77 points is Grove City's highest output at home since a 90-48 win over Thiel Feb. 23, 2008. Grove City leads the all-time series with CMU 18-16.
Grove City will host Thomas More Wednesday, December 2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference opener.
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