January 5, 2010
Wolverines improve to 3-1 in league
PITTSBURGH -- The Grove City College women's basketball team improved to 3-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tuesday night by pulling out a 54-44 victory over host Chatham at the Chatham Center.
Grove City (5-6 overall) closed the game on a 12-2 run over the final five minutes of the game. Junior forward Christine Slater (Aliquippa, Pa./Center) ignited the run with a tie-breaking three-point goal. Slater and senior forward Laura Miller (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) both hit a pair of free throws to extend the Wolverine lead to 49-42 with 1:06 left.
In the final minute, Slater and freshman guard Leah Gibson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) both sank two free throws to help seal the win. Slater led all scorers with 19 points, including 7-for-8 accuracy at the foul line. She scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half.
Grove City trailed by as many as nine points, 15-6, in the first half before closing the gap to 19-16 by intermission. Grove City took its first lead of the game early in the second half on back-to-back baskets from Miller and senior forward Krista Beechy (Winesburg, Ohio/Berlin Hiland). The second half featured 11 lead changes and six ties.
Beechy added nine points and a team-leading eight rebounds. After a 6-for-24 (25 percent) shooting effort in the first half, Grove City shot 11 of 23 (48 percent) in the second half from the field. For the game, Grove City finished 17 of 48 (35 percent). Defensively, the Wolverines limited Chatham to a 17-for-46 (37 percent) outing from the floor. Grove City also forced 31 turnovers.
Barb Petty led Chatham (5-6, 1-3 PAC) with 15 points and eight rebounds. Chatham out-rebounded Grove City 37-31. However, the Wolverines did not allow Chatham to convert any of its 12 offensive rebounds into points. Gibson added four steals.
Grove City will host Bethany (4-7, 1-2 PAC) Thursday night at 6 p.m. in conference action at the Grove City College Arena.
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