NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - After leading nearly the entire second half, the Westminster College men's basketball team suffered a heart-breaking defeat to visiting Washington & Jefferson, 61-60, Thursday night in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action. The Presidents (10-13, 5-5 PAC) sank two free throws with 17 seconds left to take their first lead since the 17:28 mark of the second half, before Westminster (7-15, 3-7 PAC) missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer on its final possession.
The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but the game was postponed because of inclement weather that affected travel.
Senior forward Ryne Murray (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) led the Titans with a game-high 24 points on 8-24 shooting, including 6-13 shooting from 3-point range. He also tied sophomore forward Rob Briggs (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) for a game-high nine rebounds. Briggs scored six points for the Titans.
Freshman guard Ron Martino (Youngstown, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney) sank 12 points for Westminster on 5-8 shooting to go with a team-high three assists.
E.J. Morascyzk led W&J with 18 points, while Paul Matthews buried 16 points for the Presidents.
Westminster shot 37.1 percent (23-62) from the field, including 41.7 percent (10-24) from 3-point range, and W&J shot 43.2 percent (19-44) from the floor.
The Titans stormed to a 13-3 lead early in the game before W&J went on a 21-8 run that ended with a 9-0 run to take a 24-21 lead at the 9:07 mark of the first half. The Presidents led 36-31 at halftime, but Westminster established the lead with 16:10 remaining, a lead the Titans would hold until the waning seconds. The Titans led by as many as six points during the second half.
Westminster travels to Thiel Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off. The Titans are now mathematically eliminated from hosting a game in the PAC Tournament, ending a seven-year run of finishing in the top half of the conference and hosting at least one PAC Tournament game.
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.
