The Wolverines (16-12) will now await word on a possible postseason tournament bid.
The two schools traded the lead for the first 15 minutes, but the Presidents were able to open a 30-23 advantage with 1:38 left in the half after a three-pointer by senior guard Jon Koch (New Kensington, Pa./Plum).
The Wolverines narrowed the gap to 30-27 at halftime as sophomore guard Ryan Gibson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) made back-to-back jumpers in the final 1:17.
The first six minutes of the second half featured three ties and the Wolverines were able to open a 44-43 lead at the 12:46 mark after senior forward Mark Smith’s (Venetia, Pa./Peters Twp.) basket.
W&J took the lead back 53 seconds later on sophomore point guard Scott Oklin’s (Pittsburgh, Pa./Allderdice) three-pointer; however, GCC tied the game four times in the next six minutes. GCC took control late in the game as junior guard Ryan Gerber (Baltic, Ohio/Garaway) knocked down a triple at the 5:21 mark and Carr provided the next six points with two triples, including one with 1:56 remaining to push the GCC lead to 60-53.
Senior guard Brandon Studer (Johnstown, Pa./Conemaugh Valley) fired in a three-pointer 19 seconds later to bring the deficit to 60-56 and then connected on 1-of-2 free throws with 57 seconds left to narrow the gap to 60-57.
Grove City missed a jumper 18 seconds later and Studer was fouled. His first free throw was good, but he missed the second. Sophomore forward Wahab Owolabi (Queens Village, N.Y./Randolph Macon Academy) notched the offensive rebound, but Studer misfired on a three-point attempt.
GCC was fouled at the 15-second mark, but missed the first end of a 1-and-1. Owolabi rebounded, but Koch’s jump shot at the buzzer rimmed out and GCC escaped with the victory.
Carr nailed 5-of-11 three-point attempts, while Gibson posted 16 points and three rebounds. GCC shot 39 percent (22-of-57) and held a 36-32 edge on the glass.
Studer finished with 18 points (4-of-10 three-pointers), while sophomore center Josip Lucic-Jozak (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) added a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Oklin notched 10 points and five assists, while Koch, who started all 108 games over the past four years, collected eight points, five rebounds and three assists. He finishes his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,429 points.
Washington & Jefferson closes its season with a 14-14 overall record. The Presidents amassed the most wins by a W&J squad since the 1993-94 season.