Westminster earns season-opening win over Juniata

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa.--The Westminster College men's basketball team led wire-to-wire it its 76-63 victory over Juniata Tuesday night on Ron Galbreath Court inside Buzz Ridl Gymnasium. 

Tuesday's win was the first for first-year head coach David Richards at Westminster. 

Westminster had three finish in double figures. Senior Drew Weir (Salem, Ohio, Salem) and graduate student DJ Harrell (Cleveland, Ohio, East Technical) spearheaded the Titan offense, finishing with 27 and 17 points, respectively. Weir went 10-of-18 from the floor and added nine rebounds, one assist and a blocked shot. Harrell was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line and added four rebounds, four steals, an assist and a block. Senior Trey DePietro (Boardman, Ohio, Boardman) finished with 10 points, going 3-of-5 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line. He added seven rebounds, two assists and one block. 

Weir had 14 in the opening half, going 4-of-8 from the floor to help the Titans head into the break carry a five-point lead, 36-31, into the second half. Senior Mick Hergenrother (Canfield, Ohio, Cardinal Mooney) scored all seven of his points in the first half. The Titans' second half lead swelled to 14, 65-51, with just over five minutes remaining. They scored eight of the game's final 10 points to secure the 13-point win, knocking down eight-straight free throws. 

Westminster scored 32 bench points while limiting Juniata to just 10. The Titans finished 26-of-59 (.441) from the floor and 18-of-21 (.857) from the line. 

Ty Kocak and Ayden Hurley led the Eagles with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Kocak added eight rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals. Hurley added two rebounds and an assist. 

Up Next:
Westminster hosts the 34th annual Buzz Ridl Classic Friday and Saturday. The Titans will face Albion Friday at 8 p.m. and Penn State Shenango Saturday at 3 p.m.