Posted: Jan 27, 2015
by Emily Kesel
After a slow start and a back-and-forth game, the Westminster College men's basketball team was able to pull out a win over Principia College on Tuesday night. The 67-56 victory makes the Blue Jays' record in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 2-9, and their overall record is now 3-15.
Coach Matt Mitchell's men got off to a bit of a slow start in the first half, but an old-fashioned three-point play by junior Brandon Drum fired up the Blue Jays, who took their first lead about ten minutes into the game. After that, the teams traded points and the lead for the rest of the half, with neither team leading by more than four points. The score was tied at 23 when the buzzer sounded for halftime.
It looked as if it would be more of the same in the second half, as the lead changed several times in the first seven minutes, but the Blue Jays would eventually take the lead for good thanks to the energy provided by some made three-pointers. With about a minute to go, the Westminster lead was as much as 14 points, but one last three-pointer by the Panthers made the final score 67-56, giving the Blue Jays a solid 11-point win.
Three different Blue Jays scored in double digits on the game, led by senior Brandon Moore's 16 points. Drum and junior Matt Murphy each recorded 11. Murphy also led in assists with four, followed by two each from Drum and sophomore Tanner Gentges. Drum, senior Verdis Lee Jr., and junior Aaron Jackson Jr. each recorded a steal for the Jays. On the boards, Murphy and Moore each had five total rebounds, and Gentges and freshman Tanner Cochran each added four for good measure.
The Blue Jays host Greenville College on Saturday, January 31, at 3:00 p.m. Westminster will begin their 100 years of basketball celebration at the game.
