Grove City freshman Luke Tomaselli sent the game into overtime at 66-all with a three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation. Grove City (0-1) nearly sent the game into a second overtime but Joe Capotosta's three-point attempt glanced off the back of the rim.
Junior guard Ryan Gerber led Grove City with a game-high 20 points. Gerber shot 7 for 11 from the floor, including 4-of-8 accuracy behind the three-point line. Senior forward Mark Smith came off the bench to post 13 points and five rebounds while junior guard Shawn Carr added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Capotosta and sophomore guard Ryan Gibson each added nine points. Gibson had four assists while Capotosta recorded three steals. Senior center Craig Hallman pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds, helping the Wolverines own a 46-38 edge on the glass.
The Wolverines jumped out to a 14-5 lead in the first half and led 32-28 at halftime. Grove City pushed the lead to 48-35 midway through the second half before Allegheny (1-0) charged back. Allegheny drained six of 11 three-point attempts in the second half to help ignite the comeback.
In overtime, Allegheny bolted to a 71-66 lead but a steal and layup from Gibson tied the game at 72-72 with 55 seconds left. However, Allegheny guard Mike Sefcik gave Allegheny the lead for good with a three.
Larry Sharp led Allegheny with 17 points while Ryan Hollihan added 13. Sefick finished with a dozen points.
Grove City will face Carnegie Mellon Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at Allegheny in the second night of the West Penn Classic.