WAYNESBURG, Pa. – If there was any doubt that the Thiel College men's basketball team hadn't forgotten about Dec. 3's heartbreaking, 105-104, double-OT loss to Waynesburg, they put it to bed Saturday night.
In bed with it is the Tomcats' 13 game winless streak thanks to a, 74-54, drubbing of the Yellow Jackets at Marisa Fieldhouse.
Apparently having had enough excitement in their first meeting, Thiel made sure there was none this time around by scoring the game's first bucket on a Cory Chaffee (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) layup three seconds in and never looking back. The Tomcats would never relinquish their lead, cruising to a, 36-20, halftime lead.
Thiel only gained momentum after the intermission. Chaffee and Sean Devinney (Arsenal, Pa./Central Catholic) keyed a 13-to-4 run that upped the Tomcat lead to a game-high 25 points, and putting the game out of reach.
Devinney and Chaffee each tossed in a game-high 16 points in the victorious effort. The duo also paced both teams on the boards with nine apiece. Keebo Dowe (Martinsburg, W. Va./Edison Twp.) accumulated 13 points and seven rebounds.
While Thiel didn't exactly shoot the lights out – they shot just over 46 percent from the floor – they held the Jackets to an ice-cold 20-57 (35.1%) on the night. The 'Cats also got after the ball, out-rebounding Waynesburg by a 47-31 margin.
Thiel (2-15; 1-6 Presidents') will try to exact another measure of revenge when they visit Thomas More on Wednesday. The Saints downed Thiel, 80-65, on Dec. 6.
