GROVE CITY, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team dropped another close game Wednesday night in its first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game of the season, losing 102-98 in overtime at defending league champion Grove City.
The Titans (1-7, 0-1 PAC), who have now lost five games by four points or less, rallied to force overtime after trailing 88-81 with 29 seconds remaining in regulation time.
Westminster's late comeback included 3-pointers by senior guard Craig Hannon (New Castle, Pa./Union) and senior guard/forward Chauncey Whitlow (Youngstown, Ohio/Woodrow Wilson) with 16 and seven seconds left, respectively.
The Titans were down by two points with possession and 17 seconds remaining in overtime before turning the ball over.
Freshman guard Max Spinner (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton) led the Titans with a career-high 22 points by making 6 of 8 shots from 3-point range. Hannon scored 19 including seven in the final three minutes of regulation, while sophomore forward Ryne Murray (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) bucketed 17 points.
Freshman guard/forward Andy Timko (Canfield, Ohio/McDonald) scored a career-high 13 points, including 11 in the first half as Westminster held a 38-37 lead at halftime. Timko also pulled down a team- and career-high 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
Rounding out a list of five Titans in double figures was junior guard David Richards (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) with 12 points.
Andy O'Keefe and Ryan Gibson led the Wolverines with 20 points apiece, while Shawn Carr and Joe McCoy bucketed 18 and 17 points, respectively.
The Wolverines (5-1, 1-0 PAC) shot 57.4 percent (39-68) from the field, including an impressive 63.6 percent (14-22) from 3-point range. Westminster shot 45.8 percent (33-72) from the floor.
Westminster returns to action at Thomas More Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off.
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.
