NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Chatham Men's Basketball (13-3, 10-1 PAC) trailed by 17 points late in the second half on Saturday afternoon, but outscored Westminster (4-11, 1-9) 31-10 down the stretch to stave off the upset-minded Titans 76-72.
 
Diaun Pinkett and Lovenson Xavier both recorded double-doubles for the Cougars. Pinkett was the game's top scorer with 28 points on 9-17 shooting. The junior also pulled down 11 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and had 5 steals. Xavier netted 23 points and grabbed 10 boards. Simon Boyer put 10 points on the board for Chatham, and Blaine Gartley contributed with 6 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocked shots.
 
The two teams went back-and-forth in scoring early in the game, but Westminster scored 5 points in the last 30 seconds of the half, including three free throws with less than a second left, to break open a 10-point lead at the intermission. The teams continued to battle early in the second half. A Drew Weir basket with 10:19 to go put the Titans up 62-45 with an upset looking increasingly likely. The Cougars countered with a 12-2 run over the next three minutes, with Xavier scoring 10 consecutive Chatham points. The Westminster lead was still 7 points with just over four minutes left to play. After two baskets from Pinkett and Gartley, a Xavier three-pointer tied the game at 70 with three minutes to go. Pinkett and Weir traded jumpers, then Gartley stole the ball and was fouled with a minute left. He would miss the front end of a one-and-one, but a putback basket from Zavea Green gave the Cougars the lead they needed. The Titans had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Gartley blocked the Westminster shot and was fouled with 10 seconds remaining. He sealed the victory by knocking down the ensuing free throws.
 
Weir was the Titans' leading scorer with 27 points and top rebounder with 8. Mick Hergenrother scored 17 points and had 8 assists for Westminster. Jaxon Hendershott recorded 16 points for the Titans.
 
Chatham will take on Washington and Jefferson at the Athletic and Fitness Center in their next matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.