NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - There's a new first-place team in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) after the Westminster College men's basketball team prevailed in a thrilling, come-from-behind 80-78 win over visiting Bethany on Saturday.
Bethany (9-7, 3-2 PAC) entered the game in first place in the PAC standings, but now Westminster (4-12, 4-2 PAC) and Thomas More, a team the Titans beat earlier in the season, are tied atop the PAC standings with 4-2 conference marks.
After the Titans trailed by 17 points with 9:56 remaining in the second half, Westminster went on a 14-0 run chop the lead down to three points with 4:08 to go in the game.
That's when junior forward Ryne Murray (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) took over the game, scoring 11 of Westminster's final 13 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining. Murray had previously knocked down a pair of game-tying buckets leading up to his pivotal trey.
The dramatic conclusion to the game occurred when Bethany guard Lance Beckwith drove the down the lane with three seconds left and his team down 78-77, but he had his lay-up blocked by freshman forward Rob Briggs (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) with Murray also defending on the play.
Murray grabbed the rebounds, was fouled and sank a pair of foul shots to give Westminster a three-point lead. The Titans then fouled with two seconds left, forcing Bethany to make the first foul shot and intentional miss the second. Murray pulled down the rebound as time expired.
Murray finished with 29 points on 10-23 shooting including 4-10 shooting from 3-point range. He also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds (12 defensive) to give him his fifth double-double of the season.
Junior center Steve Bielich (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) scored 17 points - his third-most of the season - on 7-17 shooting and 3-4 shooting from 3-point range. Senior guard David Richards (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) bucketed 10 points on 3-6 shooting from the floor.
Petre Petkovski led Bethany (9-7, 3-2 PAC) with 27 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Tobi Akinsola and Dakota Matz with 13 and 10, respectively.
Westminster returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Geneva for a 7:30 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 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.
