BETHANY, W.Va. -- Senior guard Kaitlin McCarthy (Lowellville, Ohio/Lowellville) scored a career-high 21 points, but the Westminster College women's basketball team lost 60-53 at Bethany in both teams' Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener Wednesday night. McCarthy was the only Titan to score more than eight points as the Titans fall to 2-4 on the season and 0-1 in the PAC. Bethany improves to 3-3 overall and 1-0 in the league.
Bethany's Kayla Taormina also established a new career high with a game-high 24 points, including 4-5 shooting from 3-point range. Bethany's Katelynn Hackathorn was the game's other double-figure scorer with 17 points.
Both teams attempted 51 shots from the field, but Bethany converted 23 to the Titans' 20 and the Bison were also 7-17 from 3-pointer range while Titans were 0-5 from behind the arc.
Bethany went on a 13-0 run to take a 12-point, 28-16 lead in the first half. After leading 31-20 at halftime, the Bison led by as many as 17 in the second half, which included a 45-28 gap with 12 minutes remaining.
Westminster made a late run, whittling the deficit down to five points at 58-53 with 18 seconds remaining, but the Bison made a foul shot and forced a turnover in the waning seconds.
Other notables for the Titans included sophomore guard Danielle Gilmore (Washington, Pa./Trinity) and freshman guard Hannah Shaffer (Apollo, Pa./Apollo-Ridge) with eight points apiece, while sophomore forward Andi Ridge (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Starpoint) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go with two points.
Westminster returns home to host Saint Vincent Saturday at 2 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, 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.
