NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Chipping away at a 10-point deficit Tuesday night, the Kenyon College men's basketball team managed to even things up at 62-62 with the host Titans of Westminster College. The Lords' momentum was halted there, however, as the Titans used the final three minutes of the contest to pull out a 78-71 non-conference victory.

Kenyon trailed 38-33 at halftime and 49-39 with 16:15 showing on the second-half clock. Senior Phillip Crampton then led a Kenyon charge in which he scored six of the team's next 13 points, bringing the Lords within two, at 54-52.

Westminster twice pushed its lead back out to seven points on layups from Austin Armwood and Deontay Scott. Crampton answered again, this time with a three-pointer. Scott followed with a field goal at the other end, but Alexander Powell made the Tians a bit more uncomfortable by canning another Kenyon three-ball. A minute later, Ryan O'Neil converted a jumper that tied things at 62-62 with 6:15 left.

There was a three-minute lull in which neither team scored, but the Titans (9-1) snapped out of it and rattled off 16 points in the final three minutes of play. Two more layups from Scott sandwiched a three-pointer from Jarrett Vrabel, giving Westminster an eight-point edge with a minute left.

During those last six crucial minutes, Kenyon (4-5) turned the ball over four times and missed five of its last eight field goal attempts. The Titans sealed the deal by sinking five of their last six free throw attempts.

Shooting accuracy escaped Kenyon throughout the game, one that was played quite evenly in just about every other facet. The Lords were 27-of-67 (40.3 percent) overall and 12-of-32 (37.5 percent) from long range. Meanwhile, Westminster went 28-of-57 (49.1 percent) overall and 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from outside the three-point line.

Crampton ended up scoring 12 points in the second half and finished with 15 for the game. Matt Shifrin also tossed in 15 for the Lords, while O'Neil and Carter Powell each chipped in with nine. Powell also had five assists and five rebounds. Will Sigl latched on to a team-high eight rebounds to give Kenyon a slim 39-34 advantage on the boards.

Westminster placed four players in double-digits. Vrabel and Cameron Kane-Johnson both scored 18, while Scott and Lloyd Chatman rang up 11 apiece. That same quartet shot 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from three-point range.

The win was the Titans' sixth straight. Kenyon, which lost its last three, will now break for the holiday and return to play Friday, December 29 in Albright College's Crowne Plaza Holiday Tournament.