CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - In a game to determine first place in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) standings, the Westminster College men's basketball team came up short at Thomas More, losing 83-78 in overtime.
Thomas More (13-7, 7-2 PAC) maintains the top spot in the league with the win, while Westminster (6-14, 5-3 PAC) remains in second place and now tied with Bethany.
Junior forward Ryne Murray (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) scored a career-high 32 points on 12-19 shooting from the floor including 4-8 from 3-point range. Murray also snared a game-high 18 rebounds, four shy of his career high established on Wednesday at Grove City.
Senior guard David Richards (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) scored in double figures for the fifth time this year with 13 points. Sophomore guard Max Spinner (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton) scored 10 points including a pair of 3-pointers.
Four Thomas More players scored in double figures led by Romell Salone with 19 points. Mark Tinklenberg also scored 16 points and grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds.
Westminster committed 22 turnovers compared to Thomas More with 13. The Titans shot 46.6 percent (27-58) from the field including 7-17 from 3-point range. The Saints shot 44.3 percent (31-70) from the floor.
After Thomas More led 35-26 at halftime, Murray hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two points early in the second half. However, the Saints went back up by 11 points after an Eddie Brown dunk with 5:17 remaining in regulation gave TMC a 65-54 lead.
Westminster then went on a 12-0 run to take the lead, culminating with a Spinner 3-pointer with 27 seconds left. Salone scored on Thomas More's next possession with an old-fashioned 3-pointer, making a lay-up and knocking down the free throw to give his team a two-point lead with 16 seconds left.
Murray missed a 3-pointer at the other end but Westminster got the ball back and this time Murray drained a jumper to send the game to overtime.
Westminster led by as many as four points in overtime, but the Titans missed four straight shots from the field. Tinklenberg hit a 3-pointer with 1:56 to go in the overtime to give TMC a one-point lead and the Saints knocked down their free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Westminster returns to action when it hosts Washington & Jefferson on Wednesday 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.
