January 3, 2015
Grove City holds off Geneva in OT
GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Junior Kathryn Erbelding (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Olympia) posted a big double-double with 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to lead four Wolverines in double-figures as the Grove City College women's basketball team survived a ferocious Geneva comeback to earn a 65-58 overtime victory over the Golden Tornadoes in Presidents' Athletic Conference action on Saturday in the Grove City College Arena.
Senior guard Kelsey Shirey (Macedonia, Ohio/Nordonia) scored nine of her 14 points after halftime, including six in overtime, and added seven rebounds while senior forward Cayley McClean (Airville, Pa./Kennard-Dale) recorded 13 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Lexie Arkwright (Mercer, Pa./Mercer) also added 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Wolverines (4-6, 2-1 PAC) jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead behind two baskets each from McClean and Erbelding. A Chelsea Kauffman three would cut the Geneva (3-8, 1-3) deficit to four, but the Wolverines would follow with a 17-4 run to lead the Golden Tornadoes 26-9 with 7:46 left in the first half.
Geneva would chip away, drawing as close as 10 points and 30-20 with 34 seconds remaining, but Erbelding would make a put-back layup with 16 seconds to play to give Grove City a 32-20 halftime lead.
McClean led the Wolverines with nine points and four rebounds in the first half while Erbelding posted eight points and seven rebounds. Heidi Mann led Geneva with nine points and five rebounds.
The Wolverines continued to play well early in the second half and took a 46-31 lead on a Kathryn Erbelding jumper with 13:54 remaining. However, Grove City would then go more than 10 minutes without a field goal, allowing Geneva to use an 18-3 run to tie the game at 49-49 with just 4:12 left in regulation.
Sophomore Jackie Stewart (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and McClean would hit consecutive baskets and Stewart added a free throw to give Grove City a 54-49 lead with 54 seconds left, but Chelsea Kauffman would close the gap to three on a layup, setting up Mann for a game-tying three with just 24 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime tied at 54-54.
In the overtime period, Grove City made sure to take control quickly, scoring the first 10 points of the extra frame to lead 64-54 before holding on for the seven-point win.
The Wolverines shot 38 percent from the field (26-69) and committed 19 turnovers while forcing Geneva into 24 miscues. Grove City also held a 47-45 rebounding advantage.
Mann led the Golden Tornadoes with a game-high 20 points to go with 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Kauffman added 15 points for Geneva while Miranda Heaney contributed 11.
Erbelding also added five steals and four assists to lead the Wolverines in both categories.
Grove City returns to action on Monday, hosting Presidents' Athletic Conference foe Thomas More, who is ranked second in the latest NCAA Division III poll, at 5:30 p.m.
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