Men's Basketball: Titans Lose, 79-101, in First Round of Tampa Bay Shootout

TAMPA, Fla.-- The Westminster College men's basketball team lost, 79-101, in the opening round of the 2012 Tampa Bay Shootout against LaGrange College (Ga.) on Saturday. DePauw University is the tournament host which is being played at the Tampa Preparatory School. The Titans dropped to 4-6 overall and the Panthers improved to 7-1.


Both teams battled for the lead for the first 10 minutes of the first half as there were four ties. Tied 20-20 with 11:06 on the clock, the Panthers went on a 10-0 run to take a 30-20 lead with 8:31 remaining in the half. LaGrange had a 45-34 lead at halftime.


The Panthers started the second half with a 13-1 run to add to its lead, 58-35, with 14:36 remaining in regulation. LaGrange never lost its double-digit lead and had its largest of 29 points when it led 74-45 with 10:33 on the clock.


For the game, the Titans shot 37.3% (25-67) and the Panthers shot 54.2% (39-72).


Five Titans scored in double figures, led by senior Doug Smith (South Park, PA / South Park) with 19 points (6-for-12). Smith also scored a game-high four three-pointers. Freshman Paul Carswell (Painesville, OH / Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) followed with 18 points (6-for-9). Junior Anthony Thomas (New Castle, PA / Union), senior Reuben King (Tarentum, PA / Highlands), and sophomore Steve Ferringer (Pittsburgh, PA / North Allegheny) registered 10 points each. Ferringer's 10 points marked a career-high. Smith and senior Adam Carswell (Painesville, OH / Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) led the Titans with 10 rebounds. Adam Carswell also dished-out a team-high three assists.


Westminster will play Connecticut College at 1 p.m. in the third-place game on Sunday and LaGrange will face DePauw in the championship game at 3 p.m. For more information, go to the tournament page here.