PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Westminster College men's basketball team lost, 81-75, at Chatham University in its Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener Wednesday evening.
 
Westminster (4-3, 0-1 PAC) took its first lead of the game, 4-3, when senior Dylan O'Hara (Girard, OH / Girard) made a jumper, which was part of a 14-0 run for the Titans. Westminster led 14-3 five minutes into the game. Down 21-12, Chatham (6-2, 1-0 PAC) went on an 8-0 run, cutting the Titans' lead to 21-20 with under eight minutes left in the half. The Cougars took their first lead, 29-27, since the opening minute of the game, from a three-pointer by Malik Potter. Senior Lloyd Chatman (Columbus, OH / Reynoldsburg) put Westminster back in front with a jumper (30-29), however, Chatham answered with a three by Ray Sandherr. After the Titans tied the game at 32, the Cougars ended the half with an 8-0 run and took a 40-32 lead into halftime.
 
The Cougars took their first double-digit lead (44-34) two minutes into the second half and had their largest lead of 17 points (55-38) with 15 minutes to go. Westminster orchestrated a 13-2 run, capped off with a two-pointer by senior Ricky Roth (Ellwood City, PA / Lincoln), cutting Chatham's lead to 57-51. The Cougars, however answered with a 17-2 run to take a commanding 74-53 lead, their largest of the contest, with under six minutes remaining. The Titans finished strong with an effective full-court press, however, the deficit proved too large to overcome.
 
Four Titans scored in double-digits, led by junior Isaac Stamatiades (Elkridge, MD / Avalon) who was 6-of-12 from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range. Senior Dylan O'Hara (Girard, OH / Girard) (12), junior Daniel Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) (11), and senior Blake Payne (Ashtabula, OH / Jefferson Area) (10) also scored in double-figures for Westminster. Roth added a season-high nine points. Stamatiades crashed the boards with a game-high eight rebounds, followed by Payne with seven (including a game-high five offensive rebounds). Roth tied a game-high with five assists, while junior Clay O'Dell (Vienna, OH / Kennedy Catholic) tied a game-best with two steals.
 
Chatham outshot Westminster, 50.0% (30-60) to 38.6% (27-70). The Titans held a 43-36 advantage in rebounds.
 
The Titans will host Thiel College in a PAC contest Saturday, Dec. 7 at 3:30 p.m.