NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball won its third straight game Monday night with a 73-55 non-conference win over visiting Penn State Behrend at the Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.
The Titans (4-4), who have also won four of their last five games, trailed by seven points (15-8) early on but took over the lead for good in the waning seconds of the first half before taking a 38-34 lead into halftime.
Westminster's lead gradually swelled in the second half as the Titans outscored the Lions, 35-21, and took their largest lead of the game with the 18-point, final-score differential.
Five different Titans scored in double figures, led by junior forward/guard Chauncey Whitlow (Youngstown, Ohio/Woodrow Wilson) and senior forward/guard Dom Joseph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) with 12 points apiece.
Junior guard Craig Hannon (New Castle, Pa./Union) and senior guard Nick Adams (Huntsburg, Ohio/Cardinal) each scored 11 points on identical 4-for-8 shooting from the floor and 3-of-7 from 3-point range.
Sophomore forward Steve Bielich (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) scored 10 points, while he and Joseph led the Titans with five rebounds apiece.
The Lions (5-3) had three players score in double figures, including Tom Newman's game-high 14 points.
The Titans shot 51.9 percent (27-52) from the floor compared to the Lions' 41.5 percent (22-53), and also held a slight 31-29 rebounding advantage.
Westminster returns to action Tuesday, Dec. 19, for a non-conference home game against Pitt-Greensburg beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked among national leaders in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 361 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and was recognized by the Templeton Guide as a "Character Building College."
Nearly 1,600 students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty, while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa. campus.
