WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Junior guard
Kyran Mitchell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) registered a game-high 26 points to power top-seeded Washington & Jefferson past eighth-seeded Grove City by a 90-72 score Tuesday evening in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at Salvitti Family Gymnasium.
The Presidents improve to 22-4 overall and advance into the PAC Tournament's semifinal round for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The victory is the 10th straight for W&J, who matches a single-season school record (1993-94) with its 22nd win. W&J's last PAC Tournament win at home came against the Wolverines in the 2008-09 First Round.
The loss ends Grove City's season at 10-16 overall. The Wolverines had appeared in the past two PAC Championship games.
J.R. Mazza (Bridgeport, W.Va./University) drained 6-of-12 three-point attempts to account for all 18 of his points.
Nick Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) totaled 17 points and pulled down a team-best eight rebounds.
Okikiola Agbale (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) posted 13 points off the bench, which included a 7-for-8 effort at the charity stripe.
W&J led 41-32 at the half Tuesday night after watching Grove City jump out to an early 8-0 lead. Freshman Jonah Bock drilled a three-pointer with 2:57 to go in the first half to give Grove City a 31-30 advantage. However, W&J closed the first half with an 11-1 run to take a 41-32 lead into the halftime break.
That momentum spilled over into the second half, as the hosts ran its lead to 14 points after an early triple by Mazza and a made jumper by Gearhart. Grove City trimmed the deficit to as few as five points with 9:12 to play. However, W&J answered with nine straight points to finish off the Wolverines. W&J's second half lead swelled to as many as 20 before securing the decisive win.
The Presidents held advantages in points off turnovers (24-12) and points in the paint (48-36). Grove City, who entered the game ranking second in Division III in rebounding margin, held a 52-33 advantage on the glass. The Wolverines held a 28-15 advantage in second chance points.
W&J hosts No. 5 seed Waynesburg in the PAC Tournament Semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 24. Waynesburg upended fourth-seeded Geneva by a 60-59 score during Tuesday's quarterfinal round. The Presidents and Yellow Jackets have not met in the PAC Tournament since the 2013-14 season.
The W&J and Waynesburg game will follow the women's semifinal between W&J and Bethany. Start time is scheduled for 8 p.m.
