NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Playing the top-ranked team in the nation without its leading scorer for the final 18:40, the Westminster College women's basketball team lost to No. 1-ranked Thomas More, 53-37, Saturday at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium. The Titans limited Thomas More to just 53 points, the Saints' second-lowest total of the season.
Westminster is now 4-15 overall and 0-11 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Thomas More, which is ranked atop both the coaches' and d3hoops.com polls, improves to 19-0 and 11-0 in the PAC.
The low scoring game also produced Westminster's lowest output since scoring 36 points vs. Grove City Dec. 6, 2008.
Freshman point guard Gabby Holko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Alvernia) led the Titans with seven points. She played a career-high 21 minutes after starting senior point guard Kaitlin McCarthy (Lowellville, Ohio/Lowellville) was held scoreless before suffering an injury at the 18:40 mark of the second half. McCarthy entered the game leading the Titans with 10.1 points per game.
Junior forward Emily Dolsak (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald), sophomore forward Katie Hughes (Boardman, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney) and freshman guard Courtney Zitt (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) each bucketed six points, while Dolsak paced the Titans with six rebounds.
Senior center Nicole Dickman led Thomas More with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Moriah Corey came off the bench to score 10 as the only Saints to score more than five points.
After neither team scored in the opening 4:57, Thomas More took a 12-2 lead in the first half and led 30-17 at halftime. Before either team scored in the second half, McCarthy went down with an injury.
Thomas More would lead by as many as 17 and no fewer than 11 points until Westminster cut the deficit to 10 points with 2:33 remaining. However, Thomas More's Lauren Hargett nailed a 3-pointer with 2:06 left to seal the win.
Westminster travels to Waynesburg Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Forbes.com. Westminster 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.
