NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team picked up its first win of the 2008-09 season Saturday afternoon with a 92-80 triumph over visiting Thomas More in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest.
The Titans improve to 1-9 overall and 1-1 in the PAC, while the Saints drop to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the league.
Junior forward Ryne Murray (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) led the Titans with 20 points on 7-16 shooting while also leading Westminster with seven rebounds and four steals.
Murray had several teeth knocked out while sinking the game's opening bucket. He would return a few minutes later and actually led the Titans with 34 minutes played.
Other notable scorers for Westminster included senior guard David Richards (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) with 16 points and senior guard Bobby Glass (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) bucketing 13 points.
Sophomore Louie Pisani (Saint Marys, Pa./Saint Marys) scored a career-high eight points off the bench, including two 3-pointers.
Daniel McKeehan and Kurt Bovard led the Saints with 22 and 20 points, respectively, as the team's only double-figure scorers.
Both teams were nearly identical in the major statistical categories. Thomas More shot 50 percent (28-56) from the floor compared to Westminster at 49.1 percent (27-55). Both teams pulled down 30 rebounds and committed 15 turnovers. Westminster, however, shot well from 3-point range, making 48 percent (12-25).
Westminster led by as many as 17 points in the first half before leading 42-30 at halftime. The Saints trimmed Westminster's lead down to two points with a 57-55 deficit at the 9:42 mark of the second half.
Richards hit a crucial 3-pointer with 4:20 remaining that gave Westminster an eight-point, 71-63 lead. Westminster led by as many as 14 points in the final four minutes and Thomas More could only forge within eight points down the stretch.
Westminster will play at the Marietta Shrine Tournament Dec. 29-30, starting with a meeting with the host Pioneers on Monday, Dec. 29 at 8 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 368 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.
