NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College women's basketball team escaped with a 79-74 win Saturday over Chatham at home in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action.
The Titans (10-3, 3-2) trailed against the first-year, PAC member Cougars (4-7, 1-3 PAC) by one point with 57 seconds remaining and by as many as five points with 6:35 to go in the game.
After Allason Holt gave the Cougars a 74-73 lead with under a minute remaining, Westminster senior guard/forward Emilee Ackerman (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) answered with a lay-up to put the Titans back on top.
Chatham's Libby Soeder then missed a 3-pointer with 18 ticks on the clock and Titan guards Gina Brunetti (Canfield, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney) and Kaitlin McCarthy (Lowellville, Ohio/Lowellville) drained two free throws apiece in the final 13 seconds.
Brunetti scored a career-high 25 points on 8-14 shooting, including 4-5 from 3-point range. Brunetti's previous personal best was 16 points in Monday's win over Point Park.
Ackerman came off the bench to score 18 points, while grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds and handing out a team-high four assists. Senior forward Terese Marszalek (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) bucketed 15 points and sophomore center Rachel Martinko (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) sank 12 markers to go with nine boards and three blocks.
Barb Petty led the Cougars with 12 points as one of four double-figure scorers.
The Titans, who led 44-38 at the half, shot 40.3 percent (25-62) from the floor, compared to the Cougars at 42.4 percent (25-59). Westminster held a 42-26 rebounding advantage.
Westminster plays at Thiel in PAC play on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 6 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.
