BRADFORD, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team lost its third straight game by a three-point margin to start the season after falling at Pitt-Bradford, 78-75, Tuesday in non-league action.
Westminster (0-3) made up for a 16-point, 34-18 deficit over nine minutes to tie the game 46-46 at halftime. The Titans then took a four-point, 64-60 lead at 12:07 of the second half, but the Panthers took over the lead at the 6:09 mark and hung on despite sophomore forward Ryne Murray (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) scoring twice to cut the lead to one on two occasions.
Junior David Richards (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) also converted a lay-up with 18 seconds to make it a one-point game with 18 seconds remaining, but, after a successful trip to the foul line for Pitt-Bradford, the Panthers fouled senior center Jake Zatchok (Berlin Center, Ohio/Western Reserve) with the Titans needing three points to tie. He missed his first attempt and senior guard Craig Hannon (New Castle, Pa./Union) attempted a last-ditch shot that was blocked by the Panthers' Jon Hannon.
Freshman guard Max Spinner (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton) led the Titans with 18 points thanks to making 5 of 9 shots from 3-point range. The Titans shot 46.8 percent (29-62) from the field and 34.5 percent (10-29) from 3-point range.
Murray scored 13 points while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. Junior forward/guard Chauncey Whitlow (Youngstown, Ohio/Woodrow Wilson) netted 11 and Hannon and Richards bucketed 10 apiece to round out Westminster's double-figure scorers.
Jess Whelan led the Panthers (2-1) with 19 points, while Mark Austin tossed in 16 while snagging a game-high 10 rebounds.
Westminster hosts Penn State-Behrend (2-0) Saturday at 4 p.m.
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.
