MEADVILLE, Pa. - The Westminster College women's basketball team lost to host Allegheny, 65-63, in the first round of the Allegheny Invitational Friday night. The Titans drop to 0-2 on the year and the Gators improve to 2-0.
Erica Restich's layup with eight seconds left proved to be the game-winner as Heidi Goeller blocked a shot attempt by Westminster sophomore guard Gabby Holko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Alvernia) with two seconds remaining.
Westminster sophomore guard Courtney Zitt (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) led all scorers with a career-high 20 points, while junior forward Andi Ridge (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Starpoint) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go with 14 points. Holko bucketed 10 points to make three Titans scoring in double figures.
Restich and Goeller led the Gators with 19 and 16 points, respectively, while Goeller snared a team-best eight rebounds.
Allegheny led by as many as 14 points (27-13) in the first half before the Titans cut the Gators' lead 34-28 at halftime.
Allegheny would go up by as many as 10 points in the second half before the Titans again came back and took their first of two and leads down the stretch at the 3:06 mark. Holko's 3-pointer put the Titans up by two and a Ridge layup gave the Titans a 63-61 lead with 1:57 remaining.
Westminster will face John Carroll at 3 p.m. in the consolation game.
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.
