NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team cruised to a 92-74 win over Thiel Wednesday night in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action at the Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.
Junior guard/forward Chauncey Whitlow (Youngstown, Ohio/Woodrow Wilson) led the Titans with 19 points, as he made 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range. All of Whitlow's field-goal attempts during his last two games have been behind the arc, as he has made 11 of 20 from long distance, including 6-13 for 18 points against Waynesburg Saturday.
Three other Titans scored in double figures, including junior guard Craig Hannon (New Castle, Pa./Union) with 18 points, senior guard/forward Dom Joseph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) with 15 and sophomore forward Ryan Ricketts (Beaver, Pa./Western Beaver) with 10.
Joseph also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and three steals.
The Titans (17-7, 9-2 PAC) shot 51.6 percent (32-62) from the field and 39.3 percent (11-28) from 3-point range.
Thiel (5-18, 2-9 PAC) shot 45.3 percent (29-64) from the floor as Joe Herrmann paced the Tomcats with 26 points, followed by Geno Bianco and Brandon Mirizio with 14 points piece.
Westminster's lead was at four points midway through the first half before the Titans ran away with the lead by going up by as many as 19 points before taking an 18-point, 45-27 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Titans took their largest lead of the game with a 25-point advantage with 4:40 remaining after Thiel could only draw as close as 16 points with 12 minutes to go.
The Titans, tied for first place in the PAC with Bethany, can lock up the top seed in next week's PAC Tournament as they host the Bethany Saturday, Feb. 17, at 4 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.
