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Koch, Studer lead W&J on senior night
Things have certainly been up-and-down over those years, but it was only fitting that Koch and Studer went out with a win in the final regular season home game of their careers.
Six seniors were honored Thursday night at Henry Memorial Center. Koch and Studer were among them, and the duo turned in performances worth of the accolades they've received.
Their hot shooting propelled the Presidents to a 15-point lead midway through the first half, and when Grove City closed the gap considerably late in the game, their leadership and free-throw shooting helped seal an 87-84 victory.
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"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that when you loose 40-50 points a night, it's tough to replace," W&J coach Glenn Gutierrez said. "When you get two guys like (Koch and Studer) in the same class, it's once in a lifetime."
The tandem combined to score 17 of the Presidents' first 19 points. Koch started the game with a steal and a layup. Studer followed with three of W&J's next four baskets before the two combined for three straight three-pointers that pushed the lead to 19-4 seven minutes into the game.
The long-range shots were created by the solid screens W&J set against the Grove City man-to-man defense, and the two senior guards worked well together to run the offense.
"Jon and I have a great relationship on and off the court," Studer said. "We trust each other and we trust the other guys on the team. We've sort of adapted to that role of being leaders and the rest of guys know that if we're doing our job, it's that much easier for everybody else."
That leadership showed late in the game. Grove City made the score 78-75 and fouled Nate Burton on consecutive W&J possessions. The Presidents were in the double bonus and Burton missed his first three attempts.
That's when Studer went to the line and gave Burton a bit of advice.
"He struggled with those first three and I told him, 'They're gone. Relax, take and deep breath. This is the one that counts,'" said Studer, who scored a game-high 25 points.
Burton sank the free throw, and the Presidents, who came into the game ranked 33rd in the nation in free throw shooting at 74 percent, made their final six attempts. Koch, who finished with 21 points, made the last two.
W&J needed the quality shooting from the line, because the Wolverines, behind Mark Smith's 18 second-half points, rallied during the second half. Smith, a Peters Township graduate scored 20 points, going 8-for-9 from the field.
Grove City made 15 three-pointers. Shawn Carr drained five and finished with 21 points while Smith made four.
The Presidents outside shooting went quiet in the second half, but they turned to their inside game to answer as forwards Wahab Owolabi and Josip Lucic-Jozak scored 18 and 13 points, respectively.
The 11 W&J wins this season are the most since the 1997-98 season.
"All-in-all it's been a great experience to play here. It's been a blessing," Koch said. "You dream of playing basketball in college, whether it's Division III, D-II or D-1. Fortunately I've been able to do that."
