The Westminster College men's basketball team buried 22 three-pointers en route to its fourth consecutive win tonight at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium, as the Titan cagers improved to 5-1 on the season with a 109-99 non-conference victory over visiting Penn State-Behrend (1-3).
The Lions were firing on all cylinders to start the game, as Behrend raced to a 13-point lead (20-7) just 7:17 into the contest. Trailing 22-10 with 11:49 left in the half, Westminster rallied to outscore PS-B 44-21 the rest of the period and take a 54-43 advantage into halftime. The Titans led by 17 points (87-70) with 7:35 to play in the game when Behrend made a 12-3 run to cut the lead to eight points (90-82) with 5:35 left. However, Westminster answered with a 10-2 run of its own to build the lead back to 16 points (100-84) with 2:41 left. The Lions would cut the lead to eight points again (103-55) with 55 seconds left, but would get no closer as the Titans made 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute.
Five Titans reached double figures in scoring, led by junior guard Mark DeMonaco (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) with game-high totals of 28 points and five assists. DeMonaco shot 8-of-9 from the field, including 7-of-8 from three-point range, and 5-of-6 from the line. Senior guard Ed Pagley (New Castle/New Castle H.S.) also connected on seven treys en route to 22 points. Seniors Pat O'Connor (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks H.S.) and Chris Hatch (Canfield, OH/South Range H.S.) each added 18 markers, with O'Connor snaring a game-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the campaign. Junior guard Brian Fadden (New Castle/Mohawk H.S.) rounded out the double-digit scoring parade with 11 markers off the bench. Behrend had four players score in double figures, led by Tom Lulich with 24 points.
Both teams had outstanding shooting nights, as Behrend shot 57 percent (37-of-65) from the field while Westminster connected at a 54 percent clip (37-of-69). The difference was beyond the arc, as the Titans hit 22-of-50 treys (44 percent) to 10-of-23 (44 percent) for PS-B. Behrend outrebounded Westminster 38-31, while the Titans committed just 10 turnovers to 17 for the Lions.
Westminster returns home to Buzz Ridl Gymnasium next Wednesday (Dec. 8), as the Titans host local rival Allegheny College in a non-conference game in New Wilmington at 7:30 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.