NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The No. 22 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team dropped a non-conference matchup against Westminster (Pa.) College, 78-68 inside the Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.
BW (2-1) had three Yellow Jackets score in double-digits, led by junior guard Luke Schaefer (Medina) who had 15 points, career-high nine rebounds and three steals. Senior forward Tyler Colombo (Strasburg/Tuscarawas Central Catholic) poured in 11 off 5-of-8 shooting, snagged seven boards and recorded two steals. Junior guard Matt Dimitrijevs (Broadview Heights/Brecksville Broadview Heights) contributed with 10, while going 3-of-5 from deep, and matched a career-high three steals.
Westminster was led by junior guard Isaac Stamatiades who scored a game-high 21 points. Junior guard Clay O'Dell pitched in 20 points and senior guard Dylan O'Hara threw in 10.
BW falls to 9-15 in the all-time series with Westminster with the last game being played last season when the Yellow Jackets defeated the Titans 90-61 in Ursprung Gymnasium.
Westminster jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the first minute and fifteen seconds. A 9-0 Yellow Jacket run forced Westminster to take a timeout at 17:02. The Titans took back the lead of 15-14, at 13:20, with an 8-4 spurt. BW instantly took back a lead of 16-15 with back-to-back freshman guard Jake Snyder (Akron/Archbishop) free throws. Westminster tied the game up at 18 at 12:26 off a three-pointer. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 33-25 advantage after a 15-10 run with 7:25 left in the first half. The Titans trimmed the lead to 37-36 at 3:23 with a 12-4 run. Westminster tied BW at 42 a piece with a 7-5 run with 43 seconds left in the half. The Titans sank a free throw in the final seconds and went into halftime with a 43-42 lead.
Sophomore guard Shane Zalba (Mentor) tied the game up at 43 with a made free throw at 18:13. The Titans extended their lead to 56-48 at 10:30, with a 13-6 run. The Westminster lead jumped to 70-59 after a 17-11 run, with 3:59 left in the second half. BW cut the lead to 74-66 with 50 seconds left to play with a 7-6 spurt. The Titans closed the game out with a 5-2 run and walked away with the 78-68 non-conference victory.
BW hits the hardwood next on Friday November 22 for a non-conference matchup with Hobart (N.Y.) College at 7 p.m.
