ERIE, Pa. - The Westminster College men's basketball team lost, 80-74, on the road at Penn. State-Behrend College in non-conference play on Tuesday.
The Lions (2-0) took an early 10-2 lead, their largest of the first half, with 16:19 remaining in the first frame. The Titans (2-3) continued to battle and tied it 21-21 after sophomore Cameron Pozsgai (Windham, OH / Windham) found classmate Matt Getsy (Mars, PA / Mars) for a layup with 6:33 on the clock. Penn. State-Behrend regained the lead and remained in front until Titan freshman Jarret Vrabel (Canfield, OH / Canfield) tied the game 33-33 with a pair of free throws with 30 seconds on the clock. After a missed three-pointer from each team, the game remained tied 33-33 at intermission.
Penn. State-Behrend went back on top in the second half and never lost the lead for the remainder of the contest. The Lions had their largest lead of the game when they led 52-41 with 14:07 remaining in the game. The Titans got within three points of the Lions' lead three times, with the latest coming with 18 seconds on the clock. The Lions held on for the six-point win.
Westminster out-shot Penn. State-Behrend 48.1% (25-52) to 46.4% (26-56) and held a 34-26 rebound edge.
Five Titans scored in double-digits, led by Vrabel who recorded a career-high 16 points. Getsy and Pozsgai scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. Junior Charlie Wallander (Pittsburgh, PA / Baldwin) and freshman Deontay Scott (Youngstown, OH / East) added 10 points each. Scott had a game-high 10 rebounds, while Vrabel grabbed eight boards.
The Titans are back on the court Saturday, Nov. 29, when they host Marietta College at 2 p.m.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top-tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 379 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 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.
