BETHANY, W.Va. - Leading by as many as 14 points in the first half, the Westminster College women's basketball team saw its early lead slip away as the Titans lost 82-74 on the road Wednesday night against a red-hot Bethany team in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play.

Bethany (14-10, 8-5 PAC), the third-place team in the PAC, has now won seven straight games, while the seventh-place Titans (7-16, 4-10 PAC) have now lost nine of their last 10 games. 

Westminster shot a season-high 51 percent (25-49) from the field, while Bethany fired 47.7 percent (31-65).

Westminster led 26-12 at the 8:26 mark of the first half, led 39-35 at halftime and - after senior guard Gina Brunetti (Canfield, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney) drained a 3-pointer - took a nine-point, 51-42 lead with 16:32 remaining in the game. The Bison then went on a 14-2 run during the next three minutes to take a three-point lead. Westminster retook the lead briefly, but would never lead after the 12:21 mark. 

Freshman forward Emily Dolsak (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald) sank a lay-up with 2:20 left to tie the game, 71-71. Bethany's Stacy Goode then drained a 3-pointer and, after a Titan turnover, Renee Brandenburg scored to give the Bison a five-point advantage with just under a minute remaining. The Bison would keep at least a two-possession lead the rest of the way.

Emily Dolsak led Westminster with a career-high 18 points, while her older sister, junior guard Amy Dolsak (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald), also bucketed 18 points. Brunetti and sophomore point guard Kaitlin McCarthy (Lowellville, Ohio/Lowellville) each scored 14 points.

Brunetti led the Titans with five rebounds as Bethany out-rebounded the Titans 35-28. The Titans also committed 22 turnovers compared to Bethany's 15 turnovers.

Brandenburg led Bethany with 20 points, followed by Tara Harris with 18 and Goode with 13.

Westminster will host Geneva Saturday at 2 p.m. for its final regular season game. The Titans will be on the road during next week's PAC Tournament in a game that will be determined over the weekend.

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.