NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Chatham Men's Basketball (18-8, 12-4 PAC) was defeated in the PAC Semifinal on a late basket by Westminster (19-8, 12-4), with the final score 81-79 on Thursday night.
 
DJ Harrell was the Titans' top scorer with 32 points on 12-20 shooting. Lucas Stanley finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds, and Trey DePietro had 17 points with 4 assists for Westminster.
 
Senior Lovenson Xavier scored a career-high 34 points on 13-21 shooting, including 5-7 from three-point range, and recorded a game-high 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Senior Diaun Pinkett had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals for the Cougars. Senior Jake TenBerge netted 12 points, shooting 3-7 from beyond the arc with 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Graduate student Zach Genther contributed 10 points on 4-6 from the field and 2 assists for Chatham.
 
The Titans scored the first 5 points of the game and led 9-5 four minutes in. A Xavier triple capped a 9-2 Cougars' run that put them ahead 14-11. Pinkett would then score 4 points amidst a 6-0 spree that gave Chatham a 20-15 advantage midway through the half. With just over five minutes until the break, Xavier and TenBerge drained back-to-back three-point baskets, putting the Cougars up 31-24. After Westminster made it a one-point game again, Chatham would go on a 9-4 run in the final three minutes of the first half, with Xavier hitting two shots in the last minute, to take a 41-34 lead into the locker room.
 
Genther's three three minutes into the second half made the Cougars' advantage 11 points. Xavier scored a couple of baskets to keep it at 11, and he would not stop there, making a layup and floating jumper to put Chatham ahead 62-48 with 13 minutes left on the clock. The Titans would maintain their deficit around 10 points, but a Xavier basket and Pinkett layup extended the Cougars' lead to 12 points with seven minutes to play. That's when Westminster would knock down some clutch shots, including consecutive three-point baskets that capped a 12-2 run and brought the Titans within 72-70. Xavier was not phased, however, scoring both a step-back and three-point pull-up jumper to put Chatham up 77-72 with just two minutes left. Back-to-back Westminster layups made it a one-point game again, but Pinkett responded with a layup of his own for a 79-76 Cougars lead with 30 seconds to go. Unfortunately for Chatham, the Titans' clutch shooting continued with a layup before a made three-point basket with four seconds left that stunned the Cougars.
 
Chatham shot 50.9 percent from the field (28-55) and 40.9 percent from distance (9-22) but made just 53.8 percent of its shots from the charity stripe (14-26). Westminster shot 51.8 percent in the game (29-56) and 36.4 percent from three-point range, making 75 percent of its free throws (15-20). The Cougars will not get a chance to defend their PAC Championship, but extended their streak of reaching the semifinals to five seasons.