The Westminster College men's basketball team saw its record drop to 1-1 on the season tonight at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium, as the Titan cagers suffered a 105-96 loss to Olivet College (2-0) in the championship game of the annual Buzz Ridl Classic in New Wilmington.
The Titans came out on fire, as Westminster raced to a 17-4 lead just 3:18 into the contest and held a lead for the remainder of the half before heading into halftime with a 10-point (57-47) lead. The Titans held a single-digit lead for most of the second half before Olivet began to chip away, finally taking its first lead at 95-94 on a layup by Greg Ravy with 2:26 to play. The Fighting Comets then outscored the Titans the rest of the way.10-2 the rest of the way to claim the tournament championship.
Olivet posted four players in double figures, led by Will Lee with 22 points off the bench. Westminster also recorded four scorers in double-digits, led by junior guard Mark DeMonaco (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) with team-high totals of 24 points (including 13-of-15 accuracy from the charity stripe), eight assists and three steals. Junior forward Dom Joseph (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) added 20 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while seniors Pat O'Connor (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks H.S.) and Chris Hatch (Canfield, OH/South Range H.S.) added 15 and 14 points, respectively.
The Titans were outrebounded by Olivet 57-37 in the contest, while the Fighting Comets shot 58 percent from the field (43-of-74) in the contest. Westminster also shot just 12.5 percent (3-of-24) from behind the three-point arc in the decisive second half.
Following the championship game, both DeMonaco and Joseph were named to the All-Tournament team. Ronnie Pearson of Olivet was named Tournament MVP, while other selections included Lee, Kenny Gilbert of Heidelberg and Carlton Dean of Hiram.
Westminster men's basketball remains at home this Tuesday, Nov. 23, as the Titan cagers host Penn State-New Kensington in a non-league game at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium beginning at 8:30 p.m.
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.