CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - After a season-long five game win streak including two victories that took the Westminster College women's basketball team all the way to the championship game of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Tournament, the Titans lost in the finals at No. 16 Thomas More, 77-67, on Saturday afternoon.
Westminster, the fourth seed in the tournament, finishes its season with a 13-15 record, while this year marks the third time in the last four seasons that the Titans lost in the PAC championship game against the Saints on their home floor.
Thomas More, the top seed who is ranked No. 16 in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division III Coaches' Poll, improves to 25-3 and receives an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Senior guard Amy Dolsak (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald) led the Titans with 17 points. Five of her six made field goals were from 3-point range as she shot 6-16 from the floor and 5-13 from beyond the arc. The 17 points gave Dolsak her 15th straight game scoring in double digits as she ends her career with 944 career points.
Freshman forward Andi Ridge (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Starpoint) bucketed 12 points to go with a game-high seven rebounds. Ridge's double-figure scoring game was her sixth of the season.
Freshman forward Katie Hughes (Boardman, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney) completed a tremendous PAC tournament with 10 points for Westminster. Hughes averaged 10.7 points in the three tournament games, including her first two double-figure scoring games of her career, after averaging just 3.1 points per game in the regular season.
Sophomore forward Emily Dolsak (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald), in her last game playing alongside her older sister Amy, scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds.
Nicole Dickman led the Saints with a game-high 20 points and a team-high six rebounds. Chelsea Tolliver was TMC's other double-figure scorer with 11 points.
Thomas More shot well from the floor at 51.9 percent (27-52), compared to Westminster at 41.8 (23-55). The Titans out-rebounded TMC 35-26, while committing five more turnovers (14-9).
The Saints led the entire game including a 21-8 advantage to start the first half. Westminster was able to salvage the gaping deficit briefly. After trailing 42-32 at halftime, the Titans drew within five points at 47-42 with 16:17 remaining, but the Saints then went on a 12-2 run in less than three minutes to lead by 15 at 57-42.
Amy Dolsak's 3-pointer with 40 seconds left that made it 77-67 was as close as Westminster would get after going down by 15.
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.
