GROVE CITY, Pa. (Feb. 21) – A second half rally fell short for the Saint Vincent men's basketball team, which saw its season end with a 66-51 defeat to host Grove City in the opening round of the 2022 Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.
 
Trailing by 20 points with less than 12 minutes remaining in regulation, the Bearcats used a long run to cut the deficit to seven with inside six minutes left. The Wolverines would hold off the comeback attempt, however, and rallied down the stretch to pull away for the win.
 
Nelson Etuk scored 15 points to top Saint Vincent, while Kaleb Fields added 14, connecting in four of his team's six three-point attempts. Etuk and Arguel Drotleff each grabbed six rebounds to share the team lead, but the Wolverines ended the night with a 53-30 advantage on the glass, with 21 offensive boards leading to 18 second-chance points.
 
The Bearcats looked to take control early on, surging out of the gates to take an 11-4 lead 6:27 into play. The Wolverines then countered with a quick 9-0 run over the next two minutes to take their first lead of the game 13-11, with 11:23 left in the half. A three from Dashawn Sims would briefly give SVC a 14-13 lead, before the Wolverines scored seven straight points to open up a 20-14 lead with 6:54 to go until the break.
 
Etuk scored back-to-back baskets to pull SVC to within two with just over 5:22 left, but the Wolverines put together one more big run to close the half, outscoring the Bearcats   9-1 over the final five minutes to take a 29-19 lead at the intermission.
 
A three-pointer by Fields opened the second half scoring, but the Wolverines quickly regained the momentum, embarking on a 20-5 run to open up their largest lead of the night, 49-27, with 13:43 left in regulation.
 
The Bearcats refused to go away. Fields hit threes on consecutive possessions to close the gap to 52-37 with 11:01 left, before layups from Ethan Dunsey and Etuk, and two free throws from Drotleff, cut the deficit to 54-43 with 7:20 to go. Exactly one minute later, a mid-range jumper by Sims capped off an 18-5 run and pulled the Bearcats to within single digits at 54-45.
 
The Bearcats would get no closer, however, as they were held to just two field goals and two free throws over the final five minutes of play. Conversely, the Wolverines scored on six of the final seven possessions to pull away for the win.
 
Elijah White led Grove City with 20 points and nine rebounds, including six on the offensive glass, while Ben Rose scored 10 points with a game-high five assists.
 
The Wolverines will now advance to face top-seeded Washington & Jefferson in the PAC quarterfinals. Saint Vincent ends the 2021-22 season with a 3-22 overall record.