Senior guard Mark DeMonaco (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) led six double-digit scorers with 24 points and added a team- and career-high 10 assists to lead the Westminster College men's basketball team to a 122-119 win over Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) tonight. The non-conference win for the Titans came in the opening round of the Mountainside Hospital Holiday Tournament, hosted by Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J.
With the win, Westminster (9-2) advanced to the tournament championship game against host Montclair State tomorrow (Thurs., Dec. 30) at 3 p.m. Bethany Lutheran (0-8) will face Medgar Evars in the consolation game beginning at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
The two teams played a close game for the first 10 minutes before the Titans went on an 18-3 run over a span of 3:33 to turn a 25-24 deficit into a 42-28 lead with 7:06 to play in the half. The Vikings slowly cut into the lead the rest of the period, and Westminster went into intermission leading by just four points (58-54). The Titans regained control early in the second half and led by as many as 15 points (80-65 with 15:31 to play), only to see a furious rally by Bethany Lutheran give the Vikings a 104-103 lead with 7:04 left. Westminster re-took the lead at 110-108 with 5:31 left and never trailed again, although the Vikings missed a pair of potential game-tying three-point attempts in the final seconds.
In addition to DeMonaco (who was 6-of-12 from three-point range), senior guard Ed Pagley (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) added 20 points (including six treys) and seven assists. Senior forward Pat O'Connor (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks H.S.) and junior forward Dom Joseph (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) each added 17 points, with Joseph also snaring a team-best nine rebounds off the bench. Senior guard Chris Hatch (Canfield, OH/South Range H.S.) and junior forward Micah Delo (Ambridge/Ambridge H.S.) rounded out the double-figure scoring brigade with 14 and 12 markers, respectively. Robert Smaller paced Bethany Lutheran with a team-high 23 points and a game-high 15 assists.
Bethany Lutheran shot 60 percent from the field (44-of-74) and 54 percent from three-point range (7-of-13), while the Titans shot 47 percent (41-of-88) overall and 34 percent (21-of-62) from beyond the arc. The Vikings outrebounded the Titans 54-30, but committed 25 turnovers to just 11 for Westminster.
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked among national leaders in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America’s Best Colleges, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of 'The Best 357 Colleges' and 'Best 115 in the Mid-Atlantic' by The Princeton Review, and was recognized by the Templeton Guide as a 'Character Building College.'
Nearly 1,600 students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty, while choosing from 40 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa. campus.