NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster College men's basketball team won, 71-68, over Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) foe Thiel College at home Saturday afternoon.
Westminster (13-4, 7-3 PAC) started the game with a 16-0 lead, capped off with a three-pointer by sophomore
Cameron Kane-Johnson (Niles, OH / Niles) with 16:23 on the clock. The Titans had their largest lead of the half, 39-21, when freshman
Josh Hutcherson (Uniontown, OH / Uniontown Lake) made a three with 2:34 remaining. The Titans maintained their double-digit lead for the remainder of the half and led 39-23 at halftime.
In the second half, Thiel (5-10, 3-7 PAC) outscored Westminster 25-9 in the first nine and a half minutes, cutting the Titans' lead to single-digits, 57-48. The Titans were up 65-56 with 7:04 to play, however the Tomcats orchestrated an 8-1 run, cutting Westminster's lead to two points (66-64) with 3:55 to go. Thiel got within two points again of Westminster's lead (70-68) two minutes later when Nyric Gosley made a jumper with 1:36 remaining. With 44 seconds to go, junior
Austin Armwood (Columbus, OH / Westerville North) grabbed an important offensive rebound. On the same possession, Kane-Johnson would split a pair of free throws, putting Westminster in front, 71-68, with 12 seconds left. Thiel's desperation three as time expired came up short.
Kane-Johnson finished with a game-high 21 points. Armwood tallied 16 points, while senior
Deontay Scott (Youngstown, OH / East) finished with 13. Kane-Johnson and senior
Jarret Vrabel (Canfield, OH / Canfield) each tied a game-high nine rebounds, while Vrabel also tied a game-high two blocks. Armwood and Payne each gathered seven boards, while junior
Marco Delorenzo (Canfield, OH / Canfield) dished out a team-high three assists.
The win marked the first time Westminster has swept Thiel in the regular season since the 2008-09 season. The Titans won, 77-63, at Thiel earlier this month.
Westminster outshot Thiel 39.7% (23-58) to 37.5% (24-64) and outrebounded the Tomcats, 48-37.
The Titans will next host Chatham University on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m.
