ERIE, Pa. - Freshman guard Christian Shea (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) sank a career-high 19 points for the Westminster College men's basketball team, but it was not enough as the Titans lost 75-68 at undefeated Penn State Behrend Saturday night in a nonconference game. The Titans fall to 1-3 on the season and the Lions remain unbeaten at 4-0.
Shea caught fire from 3-point range as he bucketed 5 of 7 from behind the arc while shooting 7-9 overall from the floor. His previous career high was eight points.
Freshman guard Anthony Thomas (New Castle, Pa./Union) and sophomore guard Doug Smith (South Park, Pa./South Park) also scored in double figures for the Titans with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Thomas dished out a game-high five assists.
Junior forward Rob Briggs (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to go with eight points for the Titans.
Russ Conley led the Lions with 24 points on an efficient 9-11 shooting from the floor, while also leading Behrend with seven rebounds. Justin Kovac also bucketed 13 points for the winners.
The Lions shot 57.8 percent (26-45) from the floor compared to Westminster at 42.6 percent (23-54).
Westminster led by as many as four points in the first half before trailing 33-28 at halftime.
Behrend took its largest lead of the game when the Lions surged to a 16-point, 54-38 lead halfway through the second half. Westminster chopped that lead down to four points after going on a 10-0 run that ended with consecutive 3-pointers by Smith and Shea with just under four minutes remaining. That was as close as the Titans would get down the stretch.
Westminster begins conference play at Bethany Wednesday for an 8 p.m. start.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college, a national leader in graduation rate performance, and a "Great School, Great Price," according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 38th among liberal arts colleges, 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 373 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.
