Brandon Bolden lead all scorers with 20 points. Ed Thornton finished with 18 points and five boards while E.J. Haynes added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Thiel (2-12, 0-2) had five players in double figures, led by sophomore forward Joe Herrmann, who finished with 16 points and five rebounds. Freshman guard James Beedle added 15 points and five assists while junior forward Brad Bowman tallied 11 points to go along with nine rebounds. Senior forward Damien Williams added 10 points, four rebounds and three steals.
Thomas More (1-14, 1-2) maintained a minimal lead throughout the first half and went into the break with a 36-32 advantage.
With Thomas More leading 56-43 with 11:17 remaining, Thiel used a 13-2 run over the next 3:59 to get back to within two (58-56) with just over seven minutes to play. The Saints were able to extend their lead back to as many as 13 late and connected on 13-of-14 free throws down the stretch to preserve their eight-point win.
Thomas More shot 45.2 percent (28-62) from the field and connected on 52.9 percent (9-17) of its three-point attempts. The Saints also closed out the contest with a 45-39 advantage on the glass.
Thiel shot just 39.4 percent (28-71) from the field and hit 40.0 percent (10-25) of its three-point attempts.
Thiel will return to PAC action on Wednesday, Jan. 18 when they travel to Mercer County rival Grove City College. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Thomas More College vs Thiel College 1-14-06 3 p.m. at Beeghly Gym - Greenville, Pa. At Beeghly Gym - Greenville, Pa. THOMAS MORE COLLEGE 92, THIEL COLLEGE 84 THOMAS MORE COLLEGE (1-14, 1-2) Brandon Bolden 5-10 6-6 20; Ed Thornton 6-9 4-4 18; E.J. Haynes 5-11 6-11 16; Garry Horton 3-10 6-7 12; R.K. Thurman 3-6 3-3 9; Mason O'Hara 2-6 2-2 8; Matt Tierney 3-8 0-0 6; Mark Lucas 1-2 0-0 3; Brad Cutter 0-0 0-0 0; Jeremy Abell 0-0 0-0 0; Michael Selm 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-62 27-33 92. THIEL COLLEGE (2-12, 0-2) Joe Herrmann 5-12 3-4 16; James Beedle 4-11 4-4 15; Brad Bowman 4-11 3-8 11; Tony White 4-7 0-0 10; Damien Williams 4-10 1-3 10; Andre Jones 3-8 3-4 9; Geno Bianco 2-5 0-0 5; Steffon Radcliff 2-4 0-0 4; Gary Gates 0-3 2-2 2; Stephen Laird 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 28-71 18-27 84. Thomas More College........... 36 56 - 92 Thiel College................. 32 52 - 84 3-point goals-Thomas More College 9-17 (Brandon Bolden 4-8; Ed Thornton 2-3; Mason O'Hara 2-3; Mark Lucas 1-2; Garry Horton 0-1), Thiel College 10-25 (Joe Herrmann 3-6; James Beedle 3-7; Tony White 2-3; Damien Williams 1-4; Geno Bianco 1-2; Brad Bowman 0-3). Fouled out--Thomas More College-E.J. Haynes; Matt Tierney, Thiel College-None. Rebounds-Thomas More College 45 (E.J. Haynes 11), Thiel College 39 (Brad Bowman 9). Assists-Thomas More College 11 (Ed Thornton 3; Garry Horton 3), Thiel College 14 (James Beedle 5; Tony White 5). Total fouls-Thomas More College 21, Thiel College 26. A-573