NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Only trailing first-place Thiel by two points at halftime, the Westminster College men's basketball team could not contain the Tomcats as the Titans lost 80-64 Saturday. Westminster falls to 5-18 overall and 2-11 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Thiel clinches the No. 1 seed in the PAC tournament with an overall record of 17-6 and 12-1 in league play.
Thiel snaps a seven-game losing streak in New Wilmington, winning for the first time at Westminster since Feb. 8, 2003.
Sophomore guard Matt Shiner (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield), who made his second career start, scored a career-high 13 points and led the Titans for the first time in scoring all season. He was 4-10 shooting from the floor including 3-7 from 3-point range.
Freshman guard Anthony Thomas (New Castle, Pa./Union) tied a career high with seven assists to go with 12 points for the Titans, while sophomore guard Doug Smith (South Park, Pa./South Park) buried three 3-pointers to finish with 11 points.
Lance Randall led Thiel with a game-high 23 points on an efficient 10-13 shooting from the floor. Anthony Harvey bucketed 16 points, followed by Aundra Jones and Ladell Trotty with 12 points apiece.
Thiel outrebounded Westminster 44-27 and outshot the Titans 52.6 percent (30-57) to 34.4 percent (21-61).
Westminster's last lead of the game was 13-12 with 10:39 left in the first half. Thiel then took a nine-point lead before the Titans narrowed the gap to two points, 29-27, at halftime.
Thiel surged ahead early in the second half by going on a 24-3 run that ended with the Tomcats leading 55-32 with 12:31 remaining. Thiel led by as many as 25 points and the closest the Titans would get was the 16-point final margin.
Westminster hosts Geneva Wednesday at 8 p.m. for the final home game of the season.
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.
