The Thiel College men's basketball team shot just 54.5 percent from the free throw line as they were downed by Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Washington & Jefferson College 75-68 Wednesday evening at the Rissell-Beeghly Gymnasia in Greenville.
W&J (7-9, 1-1) took their largest lead of the first half when a layup by Chris Cannon put his squad up nine, 35-26, with 8:34 to go. Cannon played a large role in the Presidents extending their lead, going seven-for-seven in the opening 20 minutes to finish with a game-high 14 points at the break.
The Tomcats (6-11, 0-2) outscored the Presidents 7-0 late in the first half and had the lead cut to two, 39-37, with just over two minutes to play. W&J outscored Thiel 9-5 over the last 2:34 and went into the break with a 48-42 advantage.
A 7-2 advantage early in the second had the Tomcats to within one, 50-49, with just under 16 minutes on the clock. The teams went back and forth with the Tomcats closing the lead to one on three more occasions. Senior forward Mike Banach hit the first of two free throws to get Thiel to within one, 69-68, with 1:29 to play, but his second free throw attempt rimmed up and Thiel was forced to foul the remainder of the game. W&J hit five of six free throws down the stretch to preserve its seven-point conference win.
Jon Koch had a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds to lead the Presidents. Cannon, after posting 14 in the first half, finished with just 16 points. Steve Button added 12 points and five rebounds while Chris Houser tallied five points and a game-best 12 boards.
Senior forward D.J. Gambridge paced the Tomcats with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Daryl Moore finished with 12 points and six rebounds while freshman guard Chris Kwolek chipped in with 12 points and three assists.
Thiel returns to action at 3 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 24 when they take on Grove City College in another PAC matchup.
Newspaper Box Score W&J vs Thiel College 1-21-04 8 p.m. at Rissell-Beeghly Gym - Greenville, PA At Rissell-Beeghly Gym - Greenville, PA W&J 75, THIEL COLLEGE 68 W&J (7-9, 1-1) Jon Koch 5-8 8-9 19; Chris Cannon 8-11 0-1 16; Steve Button 3-8 6-8 12; Brandon Studer 4-11 1-2 9; Anthony Hairston 3-6 1-2 7; Chris Houser 2-7 1-1 5; Kevin Bringman 1-2 0-0 3; Phil Maslar 1-1 0-0 2; Billy Zopf 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 28-57 17-23 75. THIEL COLLEGE (6-11, 0-2) D.J. Gambridge 7-11 2-3 17; Daryl Moore 4-12 4-5 12; Chris Kwolek 4-10 2-3 12; Stephen Laird 3-7 1-2 9; Mike Banach 3-11 2-7 8; Percy Sweeting 2-3 0-0 4; Justin Townsend 1-5 1-2 4; Damien Williams 1-2 0-0 2; Ryan Singleton 0-3 0-0 0; Phil Canfield 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-65 12-22 68. W&J........................... 48 27 - 75 Thiel College................. 42 26 - 68 3-point goals-W&J 2-11 (Jon Koch 1-3; Kevin Bringman 1-1; Brandon Studer 0-4; Chris Houser 0-2; Billy Zopf 0-1), Thiel College 6-16 (Chris Kwolek 2-6; Stephen Laird 2-3; Justin Townsend 1-3; D.J. Gambridge 1-1; Damien Williams 0-1; Ryan Singleton 0-2). Fouled out--W&J-Chris Cannon, Thiel College-None. Rebounds-W&J 40 (Chris Houser 12), Thiel College 38 (Mike Banach 11). Assists-W&J 10 (Chris Cannon 2; Steve Button 2; Phil Maslar 2; Anthony Hairston 2; Jon Koch 2), Thiel College 13 (Daryl Moore 3; Chris Kwolek 3). Total fouls-W&J 20, Thiel College 17. A-220