WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team trailed for only 68 seconds of its Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game at Washington & Jefferson Saturday, but the Presidents took the lead on the final second, beating the Titans, 65-63, at the buzzer.
The Titans fall to 2-6 on the year and 1-3 in the PAC. The Presidents improve to 4-5 overall and 1-2 in league games.
Junior forward Adam Carswell (Painesville, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) led Westminster with a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth career double-double and his second of the season. Carswell shot 9-14 from the floor and he also posted three assists and three blocks.
Freshman guard Ben Donlow (Poland, Ohio/Poland Seminary) also turned in a double-double as he bucketed 18 points to go with 10 rebounds. Donlow was 6-11 from the field and he handed out three assists.
The other Titan to score in double figures was sophomore guard Doug Smith (South Park, Pa./South Park) with 13 points.
Andy Carter led W&J with 19 points to go with seven rebounds. Carter made a 13-foot baseline jumper as time expired to give the Presidents the win. The game was tied before Carter's buzzer-beater when Smith knotted the game at 63-63 with a 3-pointer with 1:24 left.
Zach Bellhy was W&J's other double-figure scorer with 16 points. Uchenna Okocha led W&J with eight rebounds to go with eight points.
Westminster led by as many as nine points in the second half before W&J went on a 12-2 run covering five minutes to take a 59-58 lead with 4:17 remaining. The Titans answered and led briefly but it was their last lead of the game.
Westminster is off for finals week and it will next play at Hiram, Dec. 22, at 6 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, 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.
