NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team came back from an eight-point halftime deficit and fended off visiting Thiel, 88-86, Wednesday night in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play.
Thiel (6-8, 2-3 PAC) has now lost seven straight games at Westminster (5-10, 2-3 PAC) dating back to 2003.
Four Titans scored in double figures led by senior forward Ryne Murray (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) with 22 points on 6-11 shooting from the field and 9-14 from the foul line.
The Titans shot 54.3 percent (25-46) from the field, their second-highest total of the season, and made 36 of 51 from the charity stripe. Thiel was 46.6 percent (27-58) from the floor. Both teams combined for 87 foul shot attempts and 55 personal fouls, and three technical fouls.
Thiel guard Blair Rozenblad led all scorers and rebounders with 27 points and 12 boards. Devon Adams also scored 26 and Cory Chaffee bucketed 15 for the Tomcats.
The other three double-figure scorers for Westminster were junior guard Max Spinner (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton) with 16 and senior center Steve Bielich (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and sophomore forward Steve Cress (Mars, Pa./Mars) with 12 points apiece.
Freshman point guard Ron Martino (Boardman, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney) handed out a team-high five assists to go with nine points.
Thiel led by as many as 13 points in the first half at 36-23 before leading 49-41 at halftime. Westminster went on a 14-2 run to start the second half; however, the Titans' largest lead was at four points on five occasions, including one instance following Thiel taking a five-point 75-70 lead with 7:26 remaining.
The Tomcats kept it a one-possession game for the final two minutes. Murray made two buckets down the stretch, but the Titans came big with a defensive stop when Thiel had the ball with 11 seconds left and down by two points. Three Titans converged on Rozenblad at the top of the key before Spinner came away with the game-clinching steal.
Westminster will host Geneva Saturday at 4 p.m.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges. Westminster ranked third among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 371 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.
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. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.
