GREENVILLE, Pa. – For the second time this season, senior
Anthony Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) scored the game-winner as he drained a buzzer-beating jumper in Westminster's 68-66 win over Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) foe Thiel on the road Saturday.
Titan senior
Daniel Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) found classmate
Josh Hutcherson (Uniontown, OH / Uniontown Lake) for the go-ahead layup (66-65) with 16 seconds remaining in the game. Thiel split a pair of free throws to tie it at 66 with nine seconds to go. Sophomore
Reese Leone (Beloit, OH / West Branch) dribbled past Thiel's full-court press, with the assistance from classmate
Andrew Clark (New Middletown, OH / Springfield Local) with a well-executed screen, before finding A. Ritter who dribbled left to right before making the pull-up, game-winner right outside the top left corner of the paint.
To start the game, Westminster (4-2, 1-1 PAC) jumped out to a 12-6 lead, capped off with a layup by junior
Jordan Zupko (Mineral Ridge, OH / Mineral Ridge), with 13:51 remaining in the first half. Thiel (1-8, 0-3 PAC) continued to battle and eventually led, 25-23, with seven minutes left. The Titans regained the lead and were up 40-36 at intermission.
The Tomcats started the second half with a 9-0 run and led 45-40 five minutes in. The Titans battled back and took a 55-53 lead with eight minutes remaining following a three by Leone. Westminster led 60-53, after a 10-0 run, with six minutes left. Thiel answered with a 12-4 run to lead 65-64 before Hutcherson's layup.
Four Titans scored in double-digits, led by D. Ritter and Clark with 13 points each. Junior
Tyler James (Youngstown, OH / Warren JFK) scored 12, while Hutcherson added 10 points. James led Westminster in rebounds with nine, to go along with a game-high three blocks. Leone tied a game-high with a team-high seven assists. A. Ritter also tied a game-high with two steals, while Clark added six rebounds.
A. Ritter's other game-winner came in Westminster's 77-76 win over Kenyon at home on Nov. 17 with 11 seconds left.
The Titans are back in action Monday, December 6 for a non-conference bout on the road at Mount Aloysius. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
