Grove City 72, Bethany 55
Freshman guard Erica Youngman (Portersville, PA/Slippery Rock) rifled in a career-high 17 points, including a pair of threes, while forward Jackie Becker (Broadview Heights, OH/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) tossed in 15 on 6-for-8 shooting from the field. Karin Hendrickson (New Wilmington, PA/Wilmington) added 11, while Lindsay Yeats (McLean, VA/Langley) chipped in ten markers.
"Jackie was definitely feeling it today," Lady Wolverine coach Melissa Lamie said. "Her shooting was a big key in getting us started. She did a great job today." Becker’s first career three capped a 20-4 GC run midway through the second half, breaking open a 35-34 contest.
"It was a huge win for us," Becker said. "Bethany was picked by the coaches to win the conference. We felt this game was the start of a new season for us."
Grove City’s defense coerced 21 Bison turnovers and limited the visitors to 24% shooting in the second half. The Lady Wolverines also recorded 11 steals as Hendrickson and T.L. Thompson (Girard, PA/Girard) each had three thefts.
"Defensively, I thought we did a very nice job, especially keeping them away from second shots. We outrebounded them by 12 (47-35). What we tried to do is to take Steph Cunningham and Roseanne Scott (two of Bethany’s top three scorers) out of the game," Lamie said. Scott scored 18 points, but Grove City limited Cunningham to two points.
"Limiting second chance opportunities—that was one of our big goals for today," Youngman said. The Lady Wolverines limited Bethany to 14 offensive rebounds, while hauling in 30 defensive rebounds.
Grove City took a 35-29 lead into the locker room after Hendrickson found Livia Wright (Economy, PA/Ambridge) underneath the basket on an inbounds play with two seconds left in the half. The Lady Wolverines trailed 22-21 after a Scott three, but rallied to hold the lead at the break.
"At halftime, we emphasized that it’s not a 20-minute game," Lamie said. "We had to come out and play better in the second half and defensively, keep doing what we were doing."
Krista Summers (Staunton, VA/Grace Christian) pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and recorded a career-high four blocked shots. Thompson added five assists in her return to the starting lineup. Her playing time had been limited due to a back injury.
Grove City returns to action Tuesday night at Westminster for a 7:00 p.m. start. The Lady Wolverines host Waynesburg next Saturday at 2:00 p.m. That game can be heard on Grove City College’s 3,000-watt FM station, WSAJ 91.1. The game can also be heard on the web via RealAudio.
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