NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team tipped-off its 2007-08 season with an 82-79 loss against Bluffton Friday night in the first round as hosts of the 16th annual Buzz Ridl Classic at the Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.
The Titans (0-1) trailed by as many as 16 points while facing a 29-13 first-half deficit. After trimming the lead to 38-26 at halftime, the Titans took their first lead of the game at 61-59 with 9:13 remaining on a 3-pointer by senior guard Craig Hannon (New Castle, Pa./Union).
The Titans then took two leads of four points, including a 69-65 margin with 4:48 remaining; however, the Beavers (1-0) took control of the game at the foul-line making eight straight down the stretch, while the Titans missed three straight after leading by one with 1:51 remaining.
Westminster shot 58.3 percent (14-24) from the foul-line, 43.8 percent (28-64) from the field and 31 percent (9-29) from 3-point range.
Junior guard David Richards (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) led the Titans with 20 points, while Hannon sank 18 and junior forward/guard Chauncey Whitlow (Youngstown, Ohio/Woodrow Wilson) bucketed 12.
Colt Cunningham led the Beavers with 18 points, while Nate Overmyer tallied 14. P.J. Juenger and Nick Wilson bucketed 12 and 10 points, respectively, while each snaring a team-high nine rebounds. The Beavers out-rebounded the Titans, 54-32.
Bluffton will play Carthage, an 85-69 winner over Eastern on Friday night, in the championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m., while Westminster will host Eastern at 2 p.m. in the third-place game.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked 15th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly 2007 Annual College Guide. Westminster is a national leader 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 366 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 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus.
