Schubert scores 43, leads Bison over GCC in OT
BETHANY, WV, February 16, 2002--Bethany senior forward Keith Schubert rifled in 43 points, including three free throws with nine seconds left in regulation that propelled the Bison to a 96-91 overtime win over visiting Grove City College at Hummel Field House Saturday afternoon.
Grove City fell to 16-9 overall, 4-4 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, and will travel to Thiel College next Thursday as the third seed at the 2002 PAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. Thiel, who swept the season series against Grove City this season, secured the second seed with a 95-91 double-overtime win over visiting Waynesburg College on Saturday.
Top-seeded Bethany improved to 18-7 overall, 7-1 in the league. The Bison will host the other semifinal next Thursday against the winner of Tuesday's match-up between fourth-seeded Waynesburg and fifth-seeded Washington & Jefferson.
Wolverine junior guard Andy Vlajkovich (Canfield, OH/Canfield) sparked a 15-2 run in the second half with eight of his team-high 24 points that gave Grove City a 65-57 lead with under eight minutes remaining.
Bethany rallied to the tied the game, 72-72, with 3:00 left, but back-to-back three-pointers by Vlajkovich put the Wolverines ahead, 78-72, at the two-minute mark. After a Schubert three-pointer, Vlajkovich extended the lead to five, 80-75, with a lay-up at 1:18, but Schubert answered with a lay-in to cut the margin back to three. Sophomore Tanner Prosser (Pittsburgh, PA/Brentwood) then split a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game, 81-77, but Bethany's Derek Hoffman countered with a lay-up to trim the lead to two. Sophomore Ian Dean (Damascus, MD/Damascus) nailed two free throws to bump the lead back to four, 83-79, before Schubert drained his seventh three-pointer of the game to pull the Bison within one. Prosser was then fouled with 20 seconds left and swished two free throws to give Grove City an 85-82 edge, however, Schubert was fouled on a three-point attempt with nine seconds left and converted all three free throws to tie the game, 85-all, and finish with 40 points at the end of 40 minutes.
Prosser laid in the first points in overtime, but Bethany scored the next seven, including five from Mike Majzun. Freshman Nate Maurer (Mount Lebanon, PA/The Linsly School) drained a three-pointer with 18 seconds left to cut Bethany's lead to three, 94-91, but Schubert iced the game with two free throws in the closing seconds, giving him the second-highest, single-game point total (43) in Bethany history. Schubert, who owns the all-time single-game mark with 45, also became the first Bison to surpass 2,000 career points (2,009).
Vlajkovich matched his career-high with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting, including 4-for-5 from outside the arc. Prosser and senior Pat Roberts (Home, PA/Marion Center) finished with 12 points and nine rebounds each, while Dean and freshman Ryan Eller (Erie, PA/Iroquois) chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Roberts added five assists and two blocked shots.
Grove City outshot Bethany, 51 percent (31-for-61) to 33 percent (22-for-67), and posted a 45-41 rebounding edge.
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