GROVE CITY, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team lost at Grove City, 64-53, Wednesday night in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game.
The Titans fall to 5-12 on the season and 2-4 in the PAC, while Grove City improves to 10-7 overall and 4-2 for a three-way tie for second place in the PAC.
Westminster senior forward Ryne Murray (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) led the Titans with game-high totals of 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Murray, who posted his fifth 20-point scoring game of the season, was only one of six Titans to score points in the game and the only Titan to score in double figures, as sophomore forwards Steve Cress (Mars, Pa./Mars) and Rob Briggs (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) and senior forward Steve Bielich (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) each scored seven points.
Andy O'Keefe led Grove City with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Brett Matson and Joe McCoy scored 15 and 16 points, respectively.
The teams shot nearly identical from the floor with the Titans firing 38.6 percent (17-44) from the floor and the Wolverines 38.3 percent (18-47). They were also close in rebounds with Grove City holding a slight 32-31 advantage. The Titans committed 21 turnovers to Grove City's 13.
Murray gave Westminster its first lead of the game with a 3-pointer that put the Titans up 32-29 with 1:24 left in the first half before Grove City retook the lead at halftime, 33-32.
Westminster led on four separate occasions in the second half, but not by more than three points. The game's final tie score occurred at the 7:21 mark, before Grove City went on a 9-2 run highlighted by McCoy's 3-pointer with 2:12 remaining that put Grove City up 59-52. The Wolverines held that same lead until under a minute remaining before Westminster was forced to foul and the Wolverines hung on for the 11-point victory.
The Titans travel to Bethany on Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
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.
