PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The third-seeded Westminster men's basketball team lost, 72-62, at second-seeded Chatham in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Semifinals Thursday night.
The game started back-and-forth, until Chatham (21-4) climbed out to a 13-point, 30-17 lead with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Westminster (17-9) did not waver as it mustered a 12-1 run for the next six minutes and the Cougars only led 33-29 at halftime.
The Titans kept battling in the second half and got within two points (59-57) following two made free throws by senior
Daniel Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) with five minutes to go. Chatham, however, outscored the Titans 13-5 for the rest of the game to secure the win.
D. Ritter led four Titans in double-figures with 16 points. Senior
Anthony Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) scored 14. Sophomore
Reese Leone (Beloit, OH / West Branch) added 11 points and a team-high six assists, while junior
Tyler James (Youngstown, OH / Warren JFK) had 10 points and a team-best nine rebounds. Senior
Josh Hutcherson (Uniontown, OH / Uniontown Lake) registered seven points and six rebounds.
"Great leadership," said head coach
Kevin Siroki when asked about his seniors. "They really are True Titans, in the sense of working hard every day on and off the court."
Selections for the NCAA and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournaments will be announced on Monday, Feb. 28.
