The win for the Tomcats (3-18) snapped a 14-game losing streak, dating back to a 107-59 win over Penn State DuBois on Dec. 8.
Along with Gates, junior forward Geno Bianco tied his career high with 21 points. Freshman guard Andre Jones had a career-best 12 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals while senior forward Damien Williams finished with 12.
Tim Anderson led Fredonia State (9-12) with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds. Chris Donahue finished with 18 points, hitting six-of-nine from three-point range, and Taha Alassari added 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Down eight (16-8) with 13:43 to play in the first, the Tomcats put together a 21-7 run over the next 3:59 to go ahead by six (29-23) with 9:44 remaining prior to the half. Gates had seven during the outburst.
Chris Donahue tied the game at 38-38 with his three-pointer at the 3:31 mark before Gates reclaimed the lead for the Tomcats with his three-point play, putting Thiel up three (41-38) with 1:13 in the half. Donahue tied the game for the Blue Devils at 41-41 with a three with just over a minute in the half and Tim Anderson gave Fredonia a two-point edge (43-41) with a lay up scored with five seconds on the clock.
After a 52-52 tie with 14:25 to play, Fredonia outscored Thiel 19-8 over the next 6:49 to pull ahead by 11 (71-60). The Tomcats, riding an 11-0 run, tied the game at 71-71 with just over four minutes to play.
Anderson put the Blue Devils up by two (73-71) before Bianco's three-pointer gave the Tomcats a one-point edge (74-73) with 3:37 to play. Anderson connected on one-of-two free throws with just over three minutes to go, but the Tomcats managed to knock down 10-of-11 free throws down the stretch to preserve the eight-point win.
Thiel shot 49.1 percent (27-55) from the field and 12-of-27 from three-point range. The Blue Devils finished with a 28-22 edge on the glass.
The Tomcats return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 8 when they host Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Grove City College. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Fredonia State vs Thiel College 2-6-06 7:30 p.m. at Greenville, Pa. - Beeghly Gymnasium At Greenville, Pa. - Beeghly Gymnasium THIEL COLLEGE 89, FREDONIA STATE 81 FREDONIA STATE (9-12) ANDERSON, Tim 8-11 3-4 23; DONAHUE, Chris 6-9 0-0 18; WATKINS, Devin 6-9 0-1 12; ALASSARI, Taha 3-8 2-2 10; SMITH, Adam 3-4 0-0 6; REICHLMAYR, Kevin 2-5 1-2 5; KELLY, Mike 2-3 0-0 5; GORDON, Kyle 1-2 0-0 2; HARRIS, Dan 0-0 0-0 0; KENSY, Chris 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-51 6-9 81. THIEL COLLEGE (3-18) Gary Gates 8-10 4-4 22; Geno Bianco 7-11 3-3 21; Damien Williams 3-8 4-4 12; Andre Jones 4-8 3-4 12; Stephen Laird 2-5 3-3 9; James Beedle 2-4 2-2 7; Tony White 1-7 4-5 6; Steffon Radcliff 0-2 0-0 0; Dan Quiring 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-55 23-25 89. Fredonia State................ 43 38 - 81 Thiel College................. 41 48 - 89 3-point goals-Fredonia State 13-23 (DONAHUE, Chris 6-9; ANDERSON, Tim 4-5; ALASSARI, Taha 2-6; KELLY, Mike 1-2; REICHLMAYR, Kevin 0-1), Thiel College 12-27 (Geno Bianco 4-6; Damien Williams 2-6; Gary Gates 2-2; Stephen Laird 2-4; Andre Jones 1-1; James Beedle 1-2; Steffon Radcliff 0-2; Tony White 0-4). Fouled out--Fredonia State-KENSY, Chris, Thiel College-Gary Gates. Rebounds-Fredonia State 28 (ANDERSON, Tim 8; ALASSARI, Taha 8), Thiel College 22 (Andre Jones 7). Assists-Fredonia State 19 (ALASSARI, Taha 7), Thiel College 11 (Tony White 4). Total fouls-Fredonia State 19, Thiel College 14. A-311