NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College women's basketball team won its fourth straight game with an 84-79 win over Muskingum Saturday in non-conference action at the Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.
Senior reserve guard Desiree Sterling (Newton Falls, Ohio/Newton Falls) led the Titans with a game-high 23 points, while three other Westminster players scored in double figures.
The Titans (4-2) fell behind by 15-4 just 3:30 into the game before going on a 20-2 run to take a seven-point, 24-17 lead with seven minutes remaining in the half.
After Muskingum (2-4) took a 36-33 lead into halftime, both teams exchanged leads until the Titans took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Sterling with 15:03 remaining. Sterling also gave the Titans their first 10-point lead with a lay-up 10 minutes later and also gave Westminster its largest lead of the game at 11 points (76-65) with 1:51 remaining.
Junior guard/forward Emilee Ackerman (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) bucketed 19 points, including 6-of-8 shooting from the floor and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. Ackerman led the Titans with four steals and five assists to go with four rebounds.
Junior forward Terese Marszalek (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) also shot well from the floor going 8-for-12 and scoring 16 points, while senior guard Nicole Fee (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) was the fourth Titan to score in double figures with 11 markers.
The Titans also forced 25 Muskingum turnovers. Renee Metzger led the Muskies with 20 points, while Elizabeth Guinsler and Jessica McKenzie each had 16 points.
Westminster is currently riding a four-game win streak, its longest since its postseason run in 2005 when the team won the Presidents' Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Last year, the Titans' longest win streak was two games.
The Titans return to action at Allegheny Tuesday at 7 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.
