HANOVER, Ind. - The Westminster College Blue Jays made sure the last 10 minutes of their season was a matter of survival for the Hanover College Panthers.
Westminster whittled a 17-point deficit behind a 14-0 run late in the second half, but the Blue Jays were unable to score in the final 2:23 and eventually bowed to No. 12 Hanover 72-64 in the first round of the NCAA Division III national tournament Friday night.
The Panthers possessed a 37-30 advantage at halftime and then used an 11-2 run over a 3-minute stretch near the midway point of the second half to create their double-digit edge. Wes McKinney's layup with 10 minutes to go in the game put Hanover up 57-40.
Sophomore guards Collin Caywood and Cody Shaw energized Westminster's rally with a pair of 3-pointers and junior forward Stu Hollandsworth punctuated the run with a layup at the 6:00 mark, bringing the Blue Jays within 57-54. Westminster then made it a two-point game on three occasions, the latter time at 62-60 on senior guard Zach Nelson's layup with 3:27 remaining.
Junior center Sean O'Brien connected on a pair of free throws as Westminster closed within 67-64 with 2:23 to play, but Hanover finally fended off the Blue Jays by blanking them the rest of the way.
"We play a little bit better when the ball is going up and down the court," Westminster head coach Matt Mitchell said. "The only way I felt like we could do that was to go smaller (with lineup), press a little bit and try to extend.
"Of course when you do that, the (Panthers' Corey) Muchmore kid and the other guys can get to the basket, and that's basically what happened late. They got a couple of good looks at the rim because we were so extended and pressed out."
A Muchmore layup with 14:44 left in the first half put Hanover in front 8-7, but the Blue Jays responded with seven unanswered points to regain the lead. O'Brien's basket in the paint at the 12:05 mark gave Westminster a 14-8 advantage.
The Panthers came right back with a 9-1 run, going in front 17-15 on Cam Fails' 3 with 9:17 to go in the half. Junior guard Tanner Cochran's trey at the 8:33 mark put the Blue Jays back on top, but Hanover delivered a 14-2 outburst to open up a double-digit lead.
Logan Ratts' layup gave the Panthers a 31-20 advantage with 3:24 remaining and Hanover took its seven-point advantage into the break.
Junior forward Romo Tabb tallied a game-high 23 points to guide Westminster. Tabb finished 8-of-18 from the field - including 4-of-6 from 3-point range - and made all three of his free throws. He also collected eight rebounds to direct the Blue Jays to a 34-33 edge on the boards.
"Coming into the national tournament, you don't know who you're going to play and you don't know anything about the team," Tabb said. "I told myself to go out and give 110 (percent), and make the plays my team needs."
O'Brien - who connected on 6-of-10 shots - added 14 points as Westminster shot 40 percent (25-of-63) as a team. Mitchell noted that the 6-foot-9 O'Brien was playing with a sprained ankle he suffered in the Blue Jays' 128-121 victory over Greenville (Illinois) College in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament championship Feb. 25.
"Sean worked his butt off to recover and he did a good job offensively. Defensively he was a step slow, which isn't good for him because he's two steps slow anyway," Mitchell said with a laugh. "That made him three steps slow."
Muchmore and Wes McKinney - who were a combined 16-of-27 from the field - logged 19 points apiece to lead four players in double figures for Hanover. Fails also provided 13 points and Levi Buck contributed 10 as the Panthers shot 49 percent (26-of-53) as a team.
Hanover (24-3) advanced to play North Central (18-10) in Saturday night's second round. Results were not available at press time. North Central moved on with a 77-72 first-round win over Wooster (21-8) on Friday night.
Westminster - making its second straight appearance in the Division III tournament - ended the season with a 19-9 record.
"Basketball is a long season, it's a grind, for sure, but it's sure fun," Mitchell said. "Getting to qualify for the conference tournament is fun because most people are packing it away. Qualifying for the national tournament is fun because you get another week to play basketball and be with friends, be with the guys.
"Regardless of tonight's outcome, I'm very proud of this group of guys. They get along extremely well and represented Blue Jay nation in a first-class manner."