GROVE CITY, Pa. (Jan. 18) – Despite a game-high 22 points from Osyon Jones, the Saint Vincent men's basketball dropped a 78-59 decision at Presidents' Athletic Conference foe Grove City College.
 
Saint Vincent (2-10, 1-5 PAC) pulled to within five points late in the first half, but Grove City (6-6, 2-3) used an 11-0 run that wrapped around the end of the first stanza and start of the second to open up a 40-22 lead, and SVC was unable to recover.
 
Nelson Etuk joined Jones in double figures with 13 points, while Diego Martinez grabbed a team-leading 9 rebounds. Despite Martinez's efforts on the glass, Grove City held a commanding 53-33 rebounding advantage, with 25 offensive rebounds that led to 22 second-chance points.
 
The Bearcat defense totaled six blocked shots, led by three from Etuk, while SVC held the Wolverines to just 38 percent from the field. Thanks to their sizeable rebound advantage, however, the Wolverines attempted 27 more field goals than the Bearcats. SVC connected on 13 free throws to Grove City's nine, but the Wolverines hit seven three-point field goals, compared to just two by the Bearcats.
 
The Wolverines jumped out to leads of 8-3 and 10-5 in the first six minutes of regulation, but layups by Etuk and Jones 15 seconds apart made it a one-point game at the 13-minute mark. The Wolverines quickly countered to open up a 16-9 advantage, but a traditional three-point play from Jones quickly cut the gap to four points with 11 minutes left.
 
Grove City answered with an 8-4 run over the next five minutes to up its lead to 24-16 with just over six minutes to go, and after the teams traded baskets over the next several possessions, a three-pointer in the closing seconds pushed the Wolverine lead to 34-22 at the break.
 
The Wolverines scored six straight points to open up the second half and increase their lead to 40-22, but baskets from Arguel Drotleff, Ethan Dunsey and Jones would quickly trim the gap to 41-30 with just inside 15 minutes left.
 
Saint Vincent would remain within striking distance, trading baskets with Grove City over the next several minutes. A driving one-handed dunk by Jones with 5:24 left pulled SVC to within 58-46, but SVC would get no closer, as Grove City slowly pulled away down the stretch for the win.
 
Jonah Bock came off the bench to lead Grove City with 14 points, while Elijah White tallied a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.
 
Saint Vincent will now face a quick turnaround, as the Bearcats will return to action on Thursday, Jan. 20, with a 7:30 p.m. home date with Geneva College. Spectators will not be permitted, but live video, audio and stats can be found at http://athletics.stvincent.edu/coverage.