Westminster boxscore in PDF

St. Louis - Despite 17 points apiece from Forrester Sims and Marvin Grant-Clark, the Maryville men's basketball team dropped its home opener 73-71 to Westminster Tuesday night in Moloney Arena. The Saints duo combined to shoot 14-of-26 from the field but could not offset the Bluejays hitting at a .542 clip after halftime.
 
Late in the first half, the Saints held a 27-24 lead before Sukhman Bhinder knocked down a 3-pointer, and Anthony Johnson sank two free throws. Westminster closed to 32-26 but Forrester Sims hit a runner in the lane, and Johnson made two more at the free-throw line for a double-digit lead. The Saints took a 38-28 advantage into halftime.
 
Westminster slowly cut into the Maryville lead as the Bluejays closed to 43-42. The Saints pushed back and extended the cushion. Up 50-47, Forrester Sims scored inside, and Johnson knocked down a jumper. Damyan Stoyanov's jumper handed the Saints a 56-47 lead. Maryville was still up 62-53 with six minutes to play after Bhinder's bucket but Westminster made its run. The Bluejays scored 13 straight points capped by three straight 3-pointers to take a 66-62 lead. The Saints were down 71-66 with 24 seconds left before Forrester Sims hit a triple. Westminster made one free throw, and Evan Booker sank two free throws with 6.5 seconds left to pull the Saints to within 72-71. The Saints forced a turnover but Westminster stole the inbounds pass and hit one free throw with 1.6 seconds left to seal the win.
 
Johnson added 10 points and tied for the team high with seven rebounds. Jeff Leeson chipped in eight points and seven boards. The Saints took care of the ball and only committed nine turnovers.
 
The Saints slip to 0-3 on the season and are back in action Friday, Nov. 18, when they host Southwest Baptist for a 7 p.m. game.