NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Sophomore forward Ryan Ricketts scored the game-winning bucket as the Westminster men's basketball team edged Waynesburg in overtime Saturday, 84-82, in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action at the Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.
Ricketts (Beaver, Pa./Western Beaver) converted a lay-up with six seconds left on an assist from sophomore guard David Richards (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) after the Titans called a timeout with 12 seconds remaining to draw up the game-winning play.
Westminster (16-7, 8-2 PAC) remains just a half-game out of first place in the PAC behind Bethany. The Yellow Jackets fall to 10-12 and 3-8 in the league.
Senior guard/forward Dom Joseph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) led all scorers with 19 points to go with a game-high six assists. Junior guard/forward Chauncey Whitlow (Youngstown, Ohio/Woodrow Wilson) was on fire from 3-point range as he scored 18 points on six 3-pointers as all 13 of his shots from the field were from behind the arc.
Whitlow's biggest 3-pointer of the game put the Titans up by two points (75-73) with 1:15 remaining in regulation. After senior guard Nick Adams (Huntsburg, Ohio/Cardinal) sank two free throws, Waynesburg's Josh Parisi made two field goals in the final 36 seconds to send the game to overtime.
Waynesburg's Beau Wilson and Jeff Nero scored 18 points apiece, while Marc Lodovico and Parisi had 17 and 13 markers, respectively.
Other double-figure scorers for Westminster included Richards with 16 points and Adams with 11.
Westminster returns to action Wednesday, Feb. 14, for a PAC game at home against Thiel beginning at 8 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.
