B-W (4-0) entered the game ranked 13th in the latest D3hoops.com men's basketball poll.
Thiel (1-2) got off to a quick start, jumping out to an eight-point lead (16-8) with just under seven minutes played in the first half. A layup by senior guard Daryl Moore upped the Tomcat lead to 10 (22-12) at the 11:11 mark.
After junior forward Percy Sweeting hit a three to put the Tomcats back up 10 (25-15) with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first, the Yellow Jackets went on a 15-5 run over the next 5:48 to tie the game at 30-30 with a Matt Marks three-pointer.
Marks' three with 1:07 remaining in the half gave B-W a four-point advantage (39-35), but Moore tallied a pair of free throw and a jumper with three seconds left to sent the game into the break tied at 39-39.
After going up six (48-42) early in the second, Keith Aufmuth's layup knotted the game at 56-56 at the 11:48 mark.
A Moore three-pointer at 5:51 put Thiel back in front by one (68-67), but a 9-2 surge by the Yellow Jackets over the next 2:45 saw the visitors go up six (76-70) with just over three minutes to play.
Moore buried his fourth three-pointer of the day with 1:01 to play to bring the Tomcats back to within four (81-77), but Aufmuth was able to convert five-of-six free throws down the stretch to give the Yellow Jackets the four-point victory.
Thad Davis led all scorers with 37 points while Aufmuth added 16. Tori Davis and Marks each added 12.
Moore poured in a career-best 33 points to go along with four steals and three assists. Sweeting totaled 18 points and seven boards while freshman forward Joe Herrmann chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds.
Thiel finished with a 19-3 advantage in bench points and held a 38-28 edge in points in the paint.
The Tomcats return to action on Monday, Nov. 29 when they will face Robert Morris University in Moon Township at 7:30 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Baldwin-Wallace College vs Thiel College (Pa.) 11-27-04 3 p.m. at Greenville, Pa. - Beeghly Gymnasium At Greenville, Pa. - Beeghly Gymnasium BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE 86, THIEL COLLEGE (PA.) 82 BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE (4-0) Thad Davis 13-23 11-14 37; Keith Aufmuth 4-8 8-9 16; Tori Davis 4-5 4-8 12; Matt Marks 4-8 2-2 12; Tom Harrington 0-3 6-6 6; Nick Meyer 1-4 0-0 3; Jeremy Coffey 0-5 0-0 0; Tyler Sekerak 0-1 0-0 0; Brendan Schuler 0-0 0-0 0; Chad Clark 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-57 31-39 86. THIEL COLLEGE (PA.) (1-2) Daryl Moore 12-21 5-8 33; Percy Sweeting 6-8 5-7 18; Joe Herrmann 6-11 0-0 12; Ryan Singleton 2-8 3-6 7; Stephen Laird 1-5 1-1 3; Henry Passerrello 1-2 0-0 2; Alberic Kande 0-2 2-2 2; Damien Williams 1-3 0-0 2; Max Slater 1-1 0-0 2; Gary Gates 0-0 1-4 1; CJ Hunt 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 30-63 17-28 82. Baldwin-Wallace College....... 39 47 - 86 Thiel College (Pa.)........... 39 43 - 82 3-point goals-Baldwin-Wallace College 3-14 (Matt Marks 2-4; Nick Meyer 1-3; Tom Harrington 0-2; Jeremy Coffey 0-2; Tyler Sekerak 0-1; Keith Aufmuth 0-2), Thiel College (Pa.) 5-15 (Daryl Moore 4-8; Percy Sweeting 1-1; Ryan Singleton 0-2; Stephen Laird 0-1; Damien Williams 0-1; Joe Herrmann 0-2). Fouled out--Baldwin-Wallace College-None, Thiel College (Pa.)-Ryan Singleton; Max Slater. Rebounds-Baldwin-Wallace College 42 (Tori Davis 11), Thiel College (Pa.) 31 (Percy Sweeting 7). Assists-Baldwin-Wallace College 11 (Tom Harrington 7), Thiel College (Pa.) 9 (Daryl Moore 3). Total fouls-Baldwin-Wallace College 18, Thiel College (Pa.) 32. A-400