The Westminster College men's basketball team set a new school single-game scoring record tonight at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium in New Wilmington, as the Titan cagers (1-0) opened the 2004-05 season with a 131-101 victory over Hiram College (0-1) in the opening round of the annual Buzz Ridl Classic. The 131-point outburst broke the old mark of 126, set in a 126-57 victory over Baptist Bible College in 1998.
With the win, Westminster advances to the championship game of the tournament tomorrow (Sat., Nov. 20) at 8 p.m., as the Titans will face Olivet College, which posted a come-from-behind 83-74 win over Heidelberg College in the other first round tournament gtame. Heidelberg and Hiram will meet in the consolation game at 6 p.m.
The two teams played a back-and-forth first half with 11 lead changes and 12 ties, before the Titans closed the period with a 12-4 run over the final 2:56 to turn a 47-47 tie into a 59-51 halftime advantage. Hiram answered by scoring the first eight points of the second half to tie the game at 59-59, but Westminster steadily took control from there, as the Titans rang up 72 second half points.
Fifteen of the 16 Titan players who saw playing time scored at least one point, with five reaching double-figures in scoring in the historic win. Leading the way was junior guard Mark DeMonaco (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) with team-high totals of 22 points, eight assists and three steals, followed by senior guard Ed Pagley (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) with 21 points and six assists; senior forward Pat O'Connor (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks H.S.) with 18 points; junior forward Dom Joseph (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) with 17 points and a team-best eight rebounds; and junior guard Brian Fadden (New Castle/Mohawk H.S.) with 10 points off the bench. Carlton Dean led the Terriers with a game-high 29 markers.
Westminster shot 20-of-55 from three-point range in the victory, while holding Hiram to 3-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc.
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.