COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Westminster College men's basketball team fell to non-conference opponent Capital University, 87-69, on the road Monday evening.
Westminster fell to 4-7 overall while Capital improved its overall record to 9-2.
Senior
Austin Armwood (Columbus, OH / Westerville North) scored the first points for the Titans, sinking a three-pointer and giving Westminster a 3-2 lead at the 18:46 mark of the first half. Capital outscored Westminster 14-2 in the ensuing five minutes to take a 16-5 advantage with 13:21 left in the first. The Crusaders led by as much as 15 points twice in the first half, with the latest coming with 9:15 left (29-14). However, Westminster climbed back, getting within single-digits (32-24) at the 6:52 point. After Capital regained a 13-point, 37-24 lead (5:31), the Titans went on an 11-0 run in the ensuing two and a half minutes to get within two points (37-35) of the Crusaders' lead with just over two minutes left in the half. Sophomore
Isaac Stamatiades (Elkridge, MD / Avalon) converted a layup with 32 seconds remaining and the Titans trailed the Crusaders by one, 40-39. The score stayed the same at the end of the half.
In the first minute of the second half, Capital scored five-straight points to lead, 45-39. The Titans came back and trailed by one (49-48) with 15:54 remaining after Stamatiades made a layup. The Crusaders mounted a 13-1 run to lead, 62-50, at the 11:32 mark of the second. Westminster cut the lead to as much as six (67-61), however, Capital kept the Titans at bay the rest of the contest and won 87-69.
Stamatiades tied a game-high with a career-high 20 points and led all players with a career-high 10 rebounds. Junior
Lloyd Chatman (Columbus, OH / Reynoldsburg) totaled 12 points and dished out a team-best four assists. Armwood tallied 11 points, four rebounds, and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Sophomore
Josh Hutcherson (Uniontown, OH / Uniontown Lake) had eight points and pulled down five boards while junior
Blake Payne (Ashtabula, OH / Jefferson Area) grabbed six rebounds and tied a game-high two blocks.
Capital outscored the Titans 47.0% (31-66) to 39.4% (26-66). Westminster outrebounded the Crusaders 48-35.
Westminster is back in action Thursday, December 20 at non-conference opponent Baldwin Wallace University. Start time is set for 7 p.m.
