STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Westminster men's basketball team's fourth quarter comeback came up short as the Titans lost, 95-88, at Franciscan in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action on Saturday.
Franciscan (7-11, 5-7 PAC) had a double-digit lead of 78-67 with eight minutes left in the game. Westminster (12-8, 9-5 PAC) continued to battle and cut the Barons' lead to a single possession three times with the latest at 82-79 with three minutes to play. The Barons, however, managed to hold off the Titans the rest of the way.
"We have to finish games," said head coach
Kevin Siroki. "We have to finish the rest of the regular season on a strong note and be prepared for the tournament."
Titan senior
Daniel Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) led all scorers with 22 points. Also scoring in double-digits for Westminster was sophomore
Reese Leone (Beloit, OH / West Branch) and senior
Anthony Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) with 19 and 17 points, respectively. Senior
Josh Hutcherson (Uniontown, OH / Uniontown Lake) led at the glass with a career-high 13 rebounds, to go along with nine points. Junior
Tyler James (Youngstown, OH / Warren JFK) also had nine points. A. Ritter dished out a team-high four assists. Leone pocketed a game-high five steals (tying a career-best).
To start the contest, Westminster took its first lead at the 15:30 mark of the first half off a layup by James. The Titans had their largest lead of nine points twice with the latest at 37-28 with 4:06 remaining in the first frame. The Barons mustered their way back, cutting Westminster's lead to 45-42 at halftime.
The Titans will next host PAC foe Saint Vincent on Wednesday, Feb. 9 for their Senior Day. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
