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Box Score
GROVE CITY, Pa. (Feb. 26) – Despite a team-high 21 points from senior forward
Josh Parisi, the Waynesburg University men's basketball team suffered an 88-73 loss to second-seeded Grove City College on Tuesday in the opening round of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Tournament.
The loss drops the Yellow Jackets out of the conference tournament, as they finish the season with an 8-17 overall record. The Wolverines (17-9) advance to Thursday's semifinal game against third-seeded Washington & Jefferson College, while the other semifinal game features fifth-seeded Thomas More College at top-seeded Bethany College.
Waynesburg was led by three players in double-figure scoring with Parisi scoring 21 points and a team-high nine rebounds and three steals. Senior guard
Jered Gamble and sophomore swingman
Ryan Courneen added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Wolverines shot an impressive 58.5 percent (31-of-53) for the game, including 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from beyond the arc. The Yellow Jackets made 37.7 percent (23-of-61) of their attempts from the floor with 10 three-pointers (10-for-31; 32.3 percent).
After trailing by as many as 14 points, 41-27, in the first half, Waynesburg cut the deficit to seven points, 45-38, in the first minute of the second half after a three-pointer by senior guard
Tim Drakeley, who was limited to nine points after leading the conference in scoring with 21.8 points per game during the regular season.
Grove City responded with seven-unanswered points to reclaim a 14-point lead, 52-38, with 17:14 remaining and held the double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game. The Wolverines mounted a 12-2 rally over a three-minute stretch in the middle of the second period to take a sizeable 69-49 lead with 8:24 left. The Yellow Jackets eventually trimmed the lead to 13 points, 78-65, on a three-pointer by Gamble with 2:58 remaining in the game.
Senior guard Shawn Carr led five Grove City players in double-figure scoring with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting with three treys and a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore center Andy O'Keefe and junior guard Ryan Gibson each scored 10 points, while reserves Kris Verderber and Ryan Gerber each scored in double figures.
The Wolverines held a 35-29 advantage on the glass and scored 34 points from in the paint. The Yellow Jackets went 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) from the free-throw line, while Grove City was 17-of-19 (89.5 percent) from the foul line.
The game marks the third-straight meeting between Waynesburg and Grove City in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. In each of the previous two contests, the winner advanced to the conference championship game.
