Bracket
GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--Top-seeded Westminster College posted a 73-62 victory over No. 4 Grove City College in Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Basketball Championship Tournament title game.
Westminster (11-1) clinched its second PAC title in school history (2003-04). Grove City (8-4) was playing in its second-straight title game, winning the league championship in 2019-20.
The Titans hosted Saturday's tilt at Ron Galbreath Court inside Buzz Buzz Ridl Gymnasium in New Wilmington, Pa.
It was the first-ever meeting between the longtime rivals in the league's championship game.
Saturday, March 20 (Title Game)
No. 4 Grove City at No. 1 Westminster
Final: Westminster 73, Grove City 62
New Wilmington, Pa.
Westminster finished with four in double figures Saturday. Senior Isaac Stamatiades (Elkridge, Md. | Avalon) registered his PAC-best 11th double-double after finishing with a game-high 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Senior Josh Hutcherson (Uniontown, Ohio | Lake) finished with 14 points while senior Daniel Ritter (North Lima, Ohio | South Range) and first-year Reese Leone (Beloit, Ohio | West Branch) added 12 points apiece. The Titans shot 46.8 percent (22-47) from the floor, scoring 32 points in the paint. Grove City also had four players finish in double figures, paced by junior Isaac Thrasher's (Grove City, Pa. | Grove City) 15 bench points. Thrasher made 5-of-8 three-point shots in 15 minutes of action. Senior Justice Rice (Monessen, Pa. | Monessen), senior Erik Meiners (Centerville, Ohio | Centerville) and junior Ben Rose (Helena, Ala. | Helena) all finished with 10 points. The Wolverines held a 38-34 edge on the glass, led by senior Joe Meola's (Painesville, Ohio | Lake Catholic) eight boards.
Thursday, March 18 (Semifinal 1)
No. 6 Thiel at No. 1 Westminster
Final: Westminster 101, Thiel 60
New Wilmington, Pa.
Westminster will host the league's title game as the No. 1 seed for the second time in three years (2018-19) after dispatching Thiel Thursday. Senior Daniel Ritter (North Lima, Ohio | South Range) and first-year Reese Leone (Beloit, Ohio | West Branch) led Westminster with 20 points each. Ritter went 7-of-12 from the field and added five rebounds while Leone knocked down 8-of-14 field goals while posting six assists. Senior Isaac Stamatiades (Elkridge, Md. | Avalon) totaled 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, marking his PAC-best 10th double-double of the year. Junior Tyler James (Youngstown, Ohio | John F. Kennedy) finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Ny'Lan Hosey (Farrell, Pa. | Farrell) led Thiel with 10 points. The Titans shot 54.3 percent (38-70) from the floor and made 11-of-24 (45.8%) three-point field goal attempts. The Titans also finished with a 46-36 rebounding advantage. Westminster won its only PAC title in 2004 as the then-No. 1 seed, downing then-No. 2 Bethany 97-88.
Thursday, March 18 (Semifinal 1)
No. 4 Grove City at No. 2 Geneva
Final: Grove City 91, Geneva 85
Beaver Falls, Pa.
Thursday's semifinal was a rematch of last year's PAC title game, which then-No. 1 Grove City defeated then-No. 5 Geneva by an 86-70 score. A three-pointer by junior Matt Veynovich (Pompano Beach, Fla. | Highlands Academy) with 1:50 to play in the first half cut Grove City's lead to three, 42-39, but the Wolverines rattled off five-straight points, keyed by a three-point play from freshman Luca Robinson (Castaic, Calif. | Hart), to extend their lead to eight, 47-39, with just under a minute left in the half. Senior Joel Stutz (Evans City, Pa. | Butler) knocked down a three-pointer for Geneva with 30 seconds on the clock to trim the deficit to five, 47-42, going into the break. Grove City senior Erik Meiners (Centerville, Ohio | Centerville) hit a jumper with 17 minutes left in the second to push the visitor's lead to 13, 57-44. A 13-1 run pulled Geneva back to within one, 58-57, with just over 13 minutes remaining. Sophomore Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa. | Phil-Mont Christian Academy) had eight points during the spurt. Geneva junior Amos Luptak (Sewickley, Pa. | Quaker Valley) hit a pair of free throws with 5:48 left to break a 75-75 tie. After three ties and four lead changes the Wolverines managed to convert 7-of-10 free throw attempts down the stretch to secure the six-point win. Senior Justice Rice (Monessen, Pa. | Monessen) led five Grove City players in double figures Thursday night, finishing with a career-high 25 points. Junior guard Ben Rose (Helena, Ala. | Helena) posted 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Meiners added 11 points while junior Isaac Thrasher (Grove City, Pa. | Grove City) and sophomore Elijah White (Zelienople, Pa. | Portersville Christian) each pumped in 10 points. Tipton paced five scorers in double figures for Geneva. He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Luptak added 16 points, Veynovich tallied 14 points while Stutz and sophomore Isaac Massie (Cross Lanes, W.Va. | Homeschooled) chipped in with 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Wolvines posted a 44-29 edge on the glass and shot 53.7 percent (36-67) from the floor. Geneva was limited to 41.9 percent (26-62) shooting and made 11-of-23 (47.8%) of its three-point attempts.
Tuesday, March 16 (Quarterfinal 1)
No. 8 Franciscan at No. 1 Westminster
Final: Westminster 99, Franciscan 78
New Wilmington, Pa.
Senior Josh Hutcherson (Uniontown, Ohio | Lake) posted a career-high 24 points Tuesday night to pace top-seeded Westminster. He finished 6-of-10 from the field and went 12-for-13 from the free throw line. Hutcherson added five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. With Westminster leading by 17 (53-36) at the half, Franciscan managed to cut the deficit to nine (60-51) by outscoring the Titans 15-7 over the first three minutes of the second. Senior Sean Hickey (North Olmsted, Ohio | Holy Name) had 10 of the Barons’ 15 points during the spurt. The Titans responded with 20-7 run that covered the next seven minutes to grab an 80-58 lead. Senior Isaac Stamatiades (Elkridge, Md. | Avalon) logged his league-best ninth double-double in the win, finishing with 14 points and 18 rebounds. Senior Daniel Ritter (North Lima, Ohio | South Range) and first-year Reese Leone (Beloit, Ohio | West Branch) added 13 points and four boards each. Hickey finished with a career-high 41 points, going 14-of-24 from the field and 6-of-10 from three-point range. He was also a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line. Hickey’s career night also established a new single-game scoring record for the Barons. Freshman Nicholas Allienello (Johnston, R.I. | Providence Country Day) chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Tuesday, March 16 (Quarterfinal 2)
No. 10 Saint Vincent at No. 2 Geneva
Final: Geneva 94, Saint Vincent 62
Beaver Falls, Pa.
Geneva was led to its first-ever PAC Championship Tournament victory at Metheny Fieldhouse by sophomore Lyle Tipton’s (Glenside, Pa. | Phil-Mont Christian) 20-point, seven-rebound performance. The Golden Tornadoes had six players finish in double figures. Junior Matt Veynovich (Pompano Beach, Fla. | Highlands Academy) and junior Amos Luptak (Sewickley, Pa. | Quaker Valley) each had 14 points. Senior Joel Stutz (Evans City, Pa. | Butler) finished with 13, sophomore Isaac Massie (Cross Lanes, W.Va. | Homeschooled) added 12 and senior AJ Stroop (Hillsboro, Ohio | Lynchburg-Clay) chipped in with 10. The Golden Tornadoes shot 47.1 percent from the floor, including a 10-for-25 (40.0%) effort from three-point range, while also knocking down 18-of-19 (94.7%) free throws. Freshman Nelson Etuk (Blacksburg, Va. | North Cross) paced Saint Vincent with 13 points and six rebounds. Senior Shemar Bennett (Lauderhill, Fla. | Nova) finished with 12 points and six rebounds while freshman Corey Harden (Henrico, Va. | Varina) added 12 points and three boards.
Tuesday, March 16 (Quarterfinal 3)
No. 6 Thiel at No. 3 W&J
Final: Thiel 69, W&J 64
Washington, Pa.
Thiel’s strong second half Tuesday helped earn a spot in the semifinals for the first time since 2016-17. Senior Daquan Simmons (Capitol Heights, Md. | Central) was fouled on a made jumper, and after knocking down the ensuing free throw, extended the Tomcats' lead to eight, 61-53, with 3:49 remaining in regulation. Senior Nicholas Campalong (Sewickley, Pa. | Ambridge) trimmed the deficit to one, 61-60, after hitting a jumper with 1:11 remaining, but Thiel connected six-straight three throws down the stretch to preserve its five-point win. The Tomcats limited W&J to 38.5 percent shooting for the game and just 35.3 percent in the second half. Freshman Kyiam Exum (Temple Hills, Md. | Central) paced Thiel with 12 bench points, finishing 5-for-7 from the field. Junior Ahmad Tejumola (Waldorf, Md. | Saint Charles) and senior John Aarestrup (Miami, Fla. | Archbishop Coleman Carroll) each finished with 10 points. Junior Jake Livingston (Pittsburgh, Pa. | Fox Chapel) led W&J with 18 points and six rebounds. Senior Cameron Seemann (Loveland, Ohio | Archbishop Moeller) added 14 points and four rebounds.
Tuesday, March 16 (Quarterfinal 4)
No. 5 Chatham at No. 4 Grove City
Final: Grove City 78, Chatham 57
Grove City, Pa.
Senior Justice Rice (Monessen, Pa. | Monessen) finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting while freshman Luca Robinson (Castaic, Calif. | Hart) added 10 points Tuesday to help Grove City secure a spot in the tournament’s semifinal round for the third-straight year. Up just two, 16-14, with under 13 to play in the first half, the Wolverines closed out the half on a 28-8 run to carry a 22-point lead (44-22) into the break. Grove City’s lead swelled to as many as 29 in the second half. The Wolverines had 14 players score in Tuesday’s win. Grove City held a 47-25 advantage on the glass and limited Chatham to 34.5 percent shooting. The Cougars made just 6-of-30 (.200) of their three-point attempts. Junior Ben Pollock (Pittsburgh, Pa. | Cheswick Christian Academy) finished with 13 points and six rebounds for Chatham. Junior Brandon Bennett (New Castle, Pa. | Shenango) scored 10 points.
Saturday, March 13 (First Round 1)
No. 10 Saint Vincent at No. 7 Waynesburg
Final: Saint Vincent 72, Waynesburg 58
Waynesburg, Pa.
Senior Shemar Bennett (Lauderhill, Fla. | Nova) went 6-of-11 from the floor and finished with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double to pace Saint Vincent in Saturday night's win. It was his seventh double-double of the season. Freshman Anthony Dillard (Byron, Ga. | Warner Robins) chipped in with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting while adding seven rebounds. Senior Walter Bonds (Pittsburgh, Pa. | Bishop Canevin) added 12 points and four assists while freshman Nelson Etuk (Blacksburg, Va. | North Cross) totaled 11 points and nine boards. The Bearcats managed a 42-34 edge on the glass. An 11-3 run to start the second half was capped by a Bennett layup that pulled Saint Vincent to within one, 39-38, with just under 14 minutes to play. A three-pointer from freshman Corey Harden (Henrico, Va. | Varina) with 5:33 remaining pushed Saint Vincent in front, 54-52, and keyed an 18-6 run to close out the game. Junior Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Ariz. | Tri-City Christian Academy) led Waynesburg with a 20-point, 14-rebound double-double, his fourth of the year. Saturday was also Alonzo's league-leading sixth game scoring 20-plus points this season. Junior Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. | Washington) finished with 14 points and eight rebounds while freshman Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. | Frankfort) added 11 points and five boards.
Saturday, March 13 (First Round 2)
No. 9 Bethany at No. 8 Franciscan
Final: Franciscan 104, Bethany 98
Steubenville, Ohio
Senior Sean Hickey (North Olmsted, Ohio | Holy Name) played a decisive role in helping Franciscan claim its first-ever PAC postseason win after finishing with a career-high 36 points Saturday. Nineteen of Hickey's points were scored in the second half. His 36 points are the second-most scored by a PAC player (39 by Matt Popeck, Waynesburg, against Grove City on March 10) this season. Junior Justin Mack (Oxnard, Calif. | Oxnard) added 24 points and senior Joe Vernau (Irmo, S.C. | Dutch Fork) chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Barons shot at a 47.4 percent (36-76) clip from the floor and converted 32-of-35 (91.4%) of their free throw attempts. Senior Dalton Hamrick (Elkins, W.Va. | Elkins) led four Bethany players in double figures with a 29-point, 12-rebound double-double. It was his first double-double of the season and fifth game scoring 20-plus points. Sophomore Aundray Farmer (Maple Heights, Ohio | Warrensville Heights) finished with 20 points and eight rebounds while senior Dylan Furlong (Norwalk, Ohio | St. Paul) added 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore Brendan Riggs (Saint Petersburg, Fla. | Canterbury) chipped in with 12 points. Bethany finished the game with a 53-41 advantage on the glass.