The host Westminster College Blue Jays halted their nine-game losing streak by outscoring the Principia (Illinois) College Panthers 44-33 in the second half of Tuesday night's 67-56 SLIAC triumph on Henry P. Iba Court.
Westminster - which lost at Principa 75-57 on Jan. 6 - improved to 3-15 overall and 2-9 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Principia dropped to 4-11 on the season and 2-8 in conference play.
Tuesday night's contest was deadlocked at 23-all at halftime, and remained tight early in the second half. The Blue Jays went in front to stay at 33-32 on senior guard Brandon Moore's 3-pointer with 12 minutes, 47 seconds left in the game.
Westminster then opened up a 10-point lead when Moore knocked down another 3 with 5:21 remaining. The Panthers pulled within six points with 3:42 to go, making it 59-53, but the Blue Jays closed the game with an 8-3 run to seal the victory.
Moore - who finished with four 3-pointers - logged 16 points to pace three players in double figures for Westminster, which shot 45 percent (21-of-47) as a team and had 11 turnovers. Junior guards Matt Murphy and Brandon Drum provided 11 points apiece.
Moore and Murphy shared team rebounding honors with five apiece as the Blue Jays were edged on the boards 33-31.
Larry Patterson accounted for almost half of Principia's total output, delivering a game-high 27 points. Patterson made 9-of-18 shots, going 5-of-11 from 3-point range, and hit 4-of-5 free throws.
The Panthers shot just 38 percent (17-of-45) from the field and committed 13 turnovers.
Westminster remains at home for a SLIAC matchup against Greenville (Illinois) College at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Blue Jays will try to avenge a 73-62 loss at Greenville on Dec. 6.