Craig Hannon had a game-high 45 points for the Titans, knocking down nine-of-18 from three-point range. Mark DeMonaco had 22 while Chauncey Whitlow added 16.
Freshman guard James Beedle had a career-high 29 points for the Tomcats, while sophomore forward Joe Herrmann tallied 22 points and a game-best 15 rebounds.
After Westminster went up by 10 (22-12) with 13:48 to play in the first, Thiel outscored the Titans 7-2 over the next 4:36 to pull to within five (24-19) with just under 10 minutes remaining.
Westminster strung together a 24-9 run over the next 4:23 to pull ahead by 20 (48-28) with 5:17 in the half. The Titans went into the half with a 66-43 lead.
Thiel pulled to within 13 (83-70) on a Beedle three at the 11:36 mark of the second half, but Westminster used a 13-6 run to go up 20 (96-76) with just over eight minutes to play. Thiel pulled back to within 11 (113-102) late but four consecutive Hannon free throws pushed the lead back to 15, finishing with a 117-102 win.
The Titans (4-8, 1-0) hit 20-of-54 three-pointers (37.0%) for the game and finished shooting 42.9 percent (36-84) from the field. The Tomcats (2-10, 0-1) shot 55.6 percent (20-36) in the first half and finished at 47.0 percent (39-83) for the game. Thiel finished with a 60-37 advantage on the glass.
Thiel will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 7 when they travel to Fredonia State. A scheduled double header with the women's team, tip off is set scheduled for 8 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Thiel vs Westminster 1/4/06 8 p.m. at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium - New Wilmington, PA At Buzz Ridl Gymnasium - New Wilmington, PA WESTMINSTER 117, THIEL 100 THIEL (2-10, 0-1 PAC) James Beedle 10-15 4-4 29; Joe Herrmann 8-11 4-4 22; Geno Bianco 5-11 0-0 11; Stephen Laird 5-8 0-0 10; Andre Jones 3-8 3-4 9; Tony White 3-5 0-0 7; Brad Bowman 2-12 2-4 6; Damien Williams 1-9 2-2 4; Gary Gates 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 38-82 15-18 100. WESTMINSTER (4-8, 1-0 PAC) Craig Hannon 14-26 8-9 45; Mark DeMonaco 6-14 6-7 22; Chauncey Whitlow 6-13 2-2 16; Brian Urso 1-5 7-9 10; Nick Adams 4-12 0-0 10; Brian Fadden 3-7 0-0 6; Bobby Preston 2-3 0-0 6; Jake Zatchok 0-2 2-2 2; Greg Rosatelli 0-0 0-0 0; C.J. Confer 0-0 0-3 0; Mike Kobal 0-0 0-0 0; David Richards 0-0 0-0 0; Todd Leonhardt 0-0 0-0 0; Nick DiNatale 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 36-84 25-32 117. Thiel......................... 43 57 - 100 Westminster................... 66 51 - 117 3-point goals-Thiel 9-23 (James Beedle 5-8; Joe Herrmann 2-3; Tony White 1-1; Geno Bianco 1-4; Damien Williams 0-2; Brad Bowman 0-4; Andre Jones 0-1), Westminster 20-54 (Craig Hannon 9-18; Mark DeMonaco 4-10; Chauncey Whitlow 2-8; Nick Adams 2-10; Bobby Preston 2-3; Brian Urso 1-1; Nick DiNatale 0-2; Jake Zatchok 0-2). Fouled out--Thiel-Stephen Laird, Westminster-None. Rebounds-Thiel 59 (Joe Herrmann 14), Westminster 38 (Jake Zatchok 8). Assists-Thiel 24 (Joe Herrmann 6), Westminster 22 (Mark DeMonaco 7). Total fouls-Thiel 28, Westminster 20. A-554 WC: Hannon - career-high 45 points Most points by a Titan in a game since Mark DeMonaco scored 47 against Case Western Reserve in the 2003-04 season