The Westminster men's basketball team falls short to Fontbonne University in their first conference loss of the season. The Westminster Blue Jays fell 63-61 to Fontbonne, bringing their conference record to 3-1 and their overall record to 3-6. 

The Blue Jays got on the board first with a layup less than a minute into the game, but Fontbonne took the lead after 3:26 of play. The Fontbonne Griffins jumped out to an 12-point lead, 19-7, but an 8-2 Blue Jay run brought the game within five with 5:50 on the clock, 26-21. With 2:18 to play, the Griffins possessed a nine-point lead, but a three-pointer from sophomore Romo Tabb and two good free throws by freshman Dominick Erby in the remaining minutes sent the game into halftime with the Blue Jays trailing by just four, 34-30. 

To start the second half, the Blue Jays hit a 10-0 run to take a six-point lead, but minutes later, the Griffins pulled an 8-0 run to grab the lead back. Sophomore Tanner Cochran knotted the game up twice with a free throw and a three-pointer, but the Griffins managed to pull back the lead each time. The Griffins went up by eight with 4:02 to play, but a three-pointer by Tabb brought the Blue Jays within four with 3:05 on the clock. Four good free throws by sophomore Jimmy Villalobos brought the game within three, 62-59, and a layup by Cochran brought the game within one with 49 seconds to play. The Griffins went 1-for-2 from the foul line after a Westminster foul with 25 seconds to take the 63-61 lead. The Blue Jays were unable to draw the foul in the final seconds, ending the game with the 63-61 loss.

Cochran went 5-for-8 from the field and made eight free throws to put up 20 points, and Tabb scored 18 for the Blue Jays. Junior Tanner Gentges, senior Matt Murphy, Tabb, and Villalobos each pulled down six boards.

The Blue Jays look to redeem themselves in conference play on Wednesday, January 6, at Eureka College at 6:00 pm.