EDINBORO, Pa. -- Division II Edinboro withstood a scare from upset-minded Thiel Sunday afternoon, escaping with a narrow, 78-69, victory.  With the loss Thiel fell to 1-4 on the season, while Edinboro improved to 4-0.

Thiel jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the game's first three minutes, but a 17-1 run by the Fighting Scots erased the double-digit lead.  Edinboro entered the intermission holding a 33-22 advantage.

The Tomcats exploded into the second period with a 15-2 run to cut their deficit to four points with under 16 minutes to play.  The Scots responded by taking their biggest lead of the afternoon, 60-44.

But Thiel refused to go quietly.

The underdog 'Cats chipped away at the formidable lead, eventually pulling to within five points on a pair of Brandon Mirizio (West Middlesex/Kennedy Catholic) freethrows.  Forced to foul, the Tomcats watched their upset bid fade away with every converted foulshot by the home team.

Mirizio led Thiel with 17 points while sophomore Devon Adams (Philadelphia, Pa./George Junior Republic) and freshman Roddy Fuller each tossed in 12.  Nick Sefscik (Allison Park/Shaler) led the Tomcats with seven rebounds.

Joe Jones paced Edinboro with 25 points.

Thiel returns to action on Wednesday when they host Waynesburg in their Presidents' Athletic Conference opener.