NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The No. 1-seeded Westminster College men's basketball team took care of business in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Quarterfinals with a convincing 99-78 win over No. 8 Franciscan University at home Tuesday night.
 
Four Titans scored in double-digits, led by senior Josh Hutcherson (Uniontown, OH / Uniontown Lake) who registered a career-high 24 points off of 6-of-10 shooting and 12-for-13 from the free throw line. Senior Isaac Stamatiades (Elkridge, MD / Avalon) continued his double-double ways with 14 points and a game-high 18 rebounds (second most was six) for his ninth double-double of the season (28th of his career). Senior Daniel Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) and first-year Reese Leone (Beloit, OH / West Branch) both tallied 13 points. Sophomore Austin O'Hara (Girard, OH / Girard) and junior Tyler James (Youngstown, OH / Warren JFK) each had eight points, while first-year Andrew Clark (New Middletown, OH / Springfield Local) and senior Anthony Ritter (North Lima, OH / South Range) scored seven apiece. Leone was two assists away from a double-double with a career- and game-high eight assists. O'Hara pocketed a game-high four steals, while Ritter earned a game- and career-high three blocks.
 
Four minutes into the first half, up 7-4, Westminster (9-1) took its first double-digit lead with a 14-7 run, capped off by a three from A. Ritter, and led 21-11 with 13:35 on the clock. The Titans continued to build their lead and led by as much as 24 points (49-25) with 2:39 to play in the frame. Westminster went into halftime with a comfortable 53-36 lead. At intermission, Stamatiades was one rebound shy from already having a double-double. The Titans shot an impressive 66.7% from the field in the half.
 
Franciscan (3-8) was not going to go out without a fight as it cut Westminster's lead to single digits (58-49) less than three minutes into the half off the tails of a 13-5 run. The Titans would not let the Barons get any closer for the remainder of the contest and they never looked back once they regained their double-digit lead at 62-51 with 15 minutes to go.
 
For the game, Westminster shot 58.7% (37-63), its best shooting performance since Nov. 16, 2016 when the Titans shot 62.7% (37-59) against Franciscan. The Titans also dominated the glass with a 44-27 advantage. Sean Hickey led the Barons with a game-high 41 points.
 
Westminster will host No. 6 Thiel on Thursday, March 18 in the PAC Semifinals at 6:30 p.m. The Tomcats upset No. 3 Washington & Jefferson in the Quarterfinals Tuesday night. The Titans topped Thiel, 86-69, in the regular season on Feb. 17. Westminster will be making its fourth trip to the Semifinals in the past six seasons (2019, 2018, 2016).