CRESSON, Pa. -The Westminster men's basketball team lost, 79-78, on the road in a non-conference contest to Mount Aloysius on Monday night.
In the beginning of the first half, Mount Aloysius (2-7) gained the early advantage with a 14-8 lead with 16:27 remaining. The Mounties extended their lead to eight (23-15), until Westminster (4-3) scored 16 of the next 23 points to take the lead (31-30) with 4:02 left in the first. A steal from junior
Tyler James (Youngstown, OH / Warren JFK) started a fastbreak, capped off with a layup from senior
Daniel Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range), making it 33-30. Westminster caused another turnover, converting that into a three-pointer from sophomore
Andrew Clark (New Middletown, OH / Springfield Local). The Titans held a 36-30 lead at intermission.
As the second half started, Westminster captured its largest lead of the game (11, 41-30), however, the Mounties fought back to take the lead, 44-43, with 17:12 left in regulation. The Titans, once again, claimed a two-possession lead (54-49) with 14:32 on the clock. Westminster remained in the lead until Mount Alyosius' Dwayne Jones hit a two-point jumper, tying it at 58, and scoring the next eight points, taking the lead 66-58 with eight and a half minutes remaining. Down 77-75, D. Ritter hit a clutch three-pointer in the corner to give the Titans the lead with ten seconds remaining, however, the Mounties answered back with a hook shot, finding the bottom of the net (79-78), with four seconds left in the game.
The Titans were led by James, who recorded a double-double with team-highs of 19 points and ten boards, followed by D. Ritter with 17 points, seven rebounds, and a hat-trick of assists.
Anthony Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) tallied 15 points, three assists, and two steals. Sophomore point guard
Reese Leone (Beloit, OH / West Branch) chipped in with 14 points, three assists, and one steal.
Westminster shot 43.9% (29-66) from the field, 33.3% (8-24) from the three-point line, and 75% (12-16) from the free throw line.
The Titans are back on the court Saturday, December 11 as they host Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) foe Geneva. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.
