NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team lost a heart-breaker, 94-92, to visiting Otterbein in the first night of the 20th annual Buzz Ridl Classic Friday as the Cardinals scored a bucket with 1.8 seconds left. The Titans fall to 1-1 on the season and Otterbein improves to 1-0.
Otterbein's RaNeal Ewing swished the game-winner from the left wing after Westminster tied the game with a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Ben Donlow (Poland, Ohio/Poland Seminary) with nine seconds left. Donlow and Ewing finished with 13 points apiece.
Westminster sophomore guard Anthony Thomas (New Castle, Pa./Union) led all scorers with career-high 26 points on 8-16 shooting from the floor for his fourth career 20-point game. Junior guard Doug Smith (South Park, Pa./South Park) poured in 20 points for his sixth career 20-point game. Smith shot 6-10 from the 3-point range and 7-12 overall from the floor.
Freshman guard Torrell Grier (Youngstown, Ohio/Youngstown Christian) led the Titans with five assists to go with five points.
Chris Davis led Otterbein with 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Brice Rausch scored 22 points to go with seven boards.
Otterbein shot 65 percent (39-60) from the floor and out-rebounded the Titans 44-20. Westminster shot 44.1 percent (30-68) including an impressive 48.6 percent (17-35) from 3-point range.
The Cardinals led by as many as nine points in the first half before the teams were tied 41-41 at halftime. Westminster made three 3-pointers to start the second half for a nine-point cushion. Otterbein later went on a 13-3 run from the 11:28 mark to the 7:23 mark to flip a seven-point Westminster lead to a three-point Otterbein advantage. Although Westminster retook the lead after that, no team led by more than Otterbein's five-point, 84-79 gap at the 3:40 for the remainder of the game.
Westminster will play Capital Saturday at 4 p.m. and Otterbein will play Thiel at 2 p.m. in the second day of the Buzz Ridl Classic. Capital was a 76-56 winner over Thiel Friday night.
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, a top-tier liberal arts college, ranks third in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 6th 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 376 Colleges" 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 42 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.
