NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – January 6, 2022 – The Chatham men's basketball team faced a 19-day layoff and a road matchup with the PAC preseason favorite Westminster Titans. Fittingly enough, Chatham leapt to a 19-point halftime lead and held off a Titan charge to emerge with a victory, improving Chatham's record to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
 
The first half was the perfect storm of stellar shooting by the Cougars and strong defense against Westminster. Chatham made half of its shots in the first half, including a 5-15 clip from three and limiting the Titans to just 24% shooting from the floor. Chatham's advantage read 40-21 at the break.
 
The stellar first half play didn't quite carry over into the second half. The script flipped with Westminster shooting very well from the floor and the Cougars struggling shooting-wise. With the lead shrinking to as little as seven late in the game, Chatham was able to bury the dagger with a Brandon Lavernia three-ball as the shot clock ticked down. Another timely three by Malik Potter with just under a minute to play and a block in transition by Ben Pollock, the only of the game for the Cougars, notched victory for the visitors.
 
For the game, Chatham held advantages in most offensive categories, including a 42% shooting clip for the game and converting on eight threes. Five Cougars scored in double figures, with junior Marcos Cintron leading the way at 17 points on 7-12 from the field. Senior Ben Pollock put up a dozen points and was a rebound away from a double double. Potter and Lavernia both scored 11, with the former having a double double thanks to 10 boards, and first-year Blaine Gartley had 10 points and three steals.
 
Chatham returns home on Wednesday, January 12 for a key home match against Grove City beginning at 7:30.