DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Westminster College men's basketball team lost, 75-74, at non-conference foe Defiance College in its season-opener Saturday evening.
 
Westminster (0-1) trailed 39-33 at halftime and only held one lead in the first half. However, the Titans tied the game with 15:59 left in the second half when junior swingman Isaac Stamatiades (Elkridge, MD / Avalon) buried a three to knot the game up at 44-44. The Titans took the lead from Defiance (1-0) on the very next bucket from junior guard Daniel Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) to give them their first lead since they led 2-0 in the first half. At the 12:47 mark of the second half, the Yellow Jackets went on a 10-0 run to extend their lead to 59-50. Westminster reclaimed the lead. 63-61, with 5:34 left to play on a bucket from Stamatiades. The Titans led 74-73 with 26 seconds left in the game, but Defiance drilled two free throws to grab the lead back with five seconds left, sealing the win for the Yellow Jackets.
 
Titan senior guard Dylan O'Hara (Girad, OH / Girard) led all scorers with 25 points off of a 10-14 night from the field and was 4-7 from beyond the arc. Stamatiades also finished in double figures with 14 point and 10 rebounds to cap off the double-double. Ritter earned nine points and a career-high nine rebounds. Senior guard Preston Stitt (Boardman, OH / South Range) and junior guard Anthony Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) each tallied five points off the bench.
 
The Titans shot 45.2% (28-62) from the field and 32.1% (9-28) from beyond the arc, while recording an 81.8% mark from the charity stripe. Defiance was 44.1% (26-59) from the field and 46.4% (13-28) from three. The Titans outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 35-28.
 
Westminster will be back on the court Friday, November 15 in its home opener when it takes on Bluffton University for the annual Buzz Ridl Classic. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.