WAYNESBURG, Pa. - Behind a career-high 25 points from freshman guard Anthony Thomas (New Castle, Pa./Union), the Westminster College men's basketball team snapped the longest road losing streak in team history. The Titans won at Waynesburg, 86-61, Wednesday night to end a 17-game road losing streak.
Westminster is now 5-16 overall and 2-9 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Waynesburg drops to 5-15 and 2-8 in league play.
The last Westminster road win was Jan. 5, 2010 at Waynesburg, 68-55. Since then, the Titans have gone 5-9 in home games, 2-0 in neutral site games and 0-17 in road games, before snapping the streak Wednesday.
Thomas made 10 of 21 shots from the floor, including 3-6 shooting from 3-point range, while also posting team highs with six assists and three steals.
Sophomore guard Doug Smith (South Park, Pa./South Park) and junior forward Rob Briggs (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) scored 19 and 18 points, respectively, for Westminster.
Briggs also snared a team-best seven rebounds and Smith converted on 5 of 7 from 3-point range to finish the game shooting 6-9 from the floor.
Westminster shot 52.4 percent (33-63) from the floor, its second-highest of the season, and 44.0 percent (11-25) from 3-point range.
Jeff Young and Erik Noone led Waynesburg with 11 points apiece with Young leading the Yellow Jackets with a game-high eight rebounds.
Westminster never trailed in the game, although the Titans didn't put the game out of reach until the early stages of the second half. After the Titans led 37-33 at halftime, Westminster used an 8-0 run to take a 12-point, 53-41 lead with 12:54 remaining.
Smith sank four 3-pointers in a five-minute span to give Westminster a 21-point, 69-48 lead with 8:02 left. The Titans would lead by as many as 27 before coming away with the 25-point victory.
The Titans are off until they travel to Washington & Jefferson next Wednesday at 8 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.
