BLUFFTON, Ohio - Despite trailing Grove City throughout most of the second half, Wright State used a six-point run to knot the game at 66 with 1:25 to play in regulation and forced the Wolverines into overtime before succumbing to Grove City, 87-77, on Saturday, December 30, in the McDonald's of Bluffton Holiday Tournament consolation game. With the victory, Grove City improved to 4-6 while the Lakers fell to 6-12 on the season.
Neither squad could gain a significant advantage until Wright State put together a 10-0 run to open up a 30-18 lead following a Chad Miller jumper with less than four minutes to play in the first half.
Joe McCoy drained a triple and Ryan Gerber found his way to the hoop to trim the Lakers' advantage to six points, 33-27, at the 1:35 mark.
Wright State's Travis VanSkyock converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to help the Lakers to an eight-point lead, 36-28, at the break.
Grove City still trailed by six points when Joe McCoy nailed a three-pointer which began to shift the momentum to the Wolverines with 16:42 to play in the game. Ryan Gerber followed with a trifecta and McCoy and John Scheller hit consecutive layups to put the Wolverines on top, 44-40, two minutes later.
The Wolverines maintained a slim lead throughout the second half until the Lakers knotted the contest at 66 with 1:25 to play.
The extra frame belonged to Grove City as the Wolverines opened the period with six straight points, including four makes from the free throw line. Gerber nailed a triple and Grove City connected on four of its final six attempts from the line to pull out the consolation game victory over the Lakers of Wright State, 87-77.
Ryan Gerber led the Wolverines with 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Joe McCoy hit for 18 points while Ryan Gibson, who was named to the all-tournament team, chipped in with 14 and a game-high six assists. Bobby Turner led Grove City with seven rebounds in the victory.
Wright State-Lake placed five individuals in double figures and it was led by Travis VanSkyock's 22 points off the bench. Chad Miller scored 15 points while Jay Miller took home game-high rebounding honors with 11 boards. Brooks Topp tallied 14 points and eight rebounds. Brad Johns and Nate Barhorst chipped in with 13 and 11 points respectively. Barhorst was named to the all-tournament team for his efforts in the McDonald's of Bluffton Holiday Tournament.
Wright State held a commanding 46-34 advantage on the boards, but the Lakers hit only 23-of-61 shots from the field (38 percent) compared to Grove City's 31-of-61 shooting (51 percent).
