Freshman guard Craig Hannon (New Castle/Union H.S.) scored a career-high 24 points in just 12 minutes of action tonight, as the Westminster College men's basketball team saw its record improve to 2-1 on the season at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium with a 117-95 non-conference win over Penn State-New Kensington (1-4).
The Titans were sluggish early and trailed 23-20 with 10:29 to play in the opening half when Hannon keyed a 23-4 run with 13 points in a span of 4:20 to give the Titans a 16-point lead at 43-27. Westminster slowly built the lead the rest of the half and took a 22-point advantage into intermission (65-43). The Titans led by as many as 33 points on three occasions in the second half, the last at 101-68 with 8:52 to play.
Hannon shot 9-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-9 from three-point range. He was joined in double-digit scoring by junior guard Mark DeMonaco (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) with 15 points, followed by senior guard Ed Pagley (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) and junior forward Micah Delo (Ambridge/Ambridge H.S.) with 10 points apiece. Senior forward Pat O'Connor (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks H.S.) grabbed a team-high six rebounds. DeMonaco and junior forward Dom Joseph (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) each dished out six assists, while junior guard Brian Fadden (New Castle/Mohawk H.S.) added a team-best three steals. Penn State-New Kensington had five players score in double figures, led by Aaron Knight with 20 markers.
The Titans shot 54 percent from the field (45-of-83) in the win, including 40 percent (18-of-44) from beyond the arc. No Westminster player played more than 18 minutes, as 17 different players saw action.
The Westminster cagers will compete at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational in Pittsburgh this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 27-28, beginning with a first round game against Framingham State on Saturday at 1 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.