GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel College men's basketball team burst out of the gate in Wednesday evening's game against Washington & Jefferson, but faltered down the stretch as the Tomcats fell, 77-62, at Beeghly Gymnasium.

Thiel (1-11, 0-4 PAC) led by as many as nine points twice in the first half, however the visiting Presidents' rode a 14-0 run to gain a five point advantage with two minutes to play in the period. Thiel cut their deficit to two by the intermission, but W&J's 11-4 run to open the second half put the game out of reach.

The Tomcats committed just 14 turnovers – their second-fewest of the season – but the Presidents' took advantage of the limited Thiel miscues, turning them into 15 points.

Thiel was led on offense by Cory Chaffee (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) who fired in 14 points, half of which came via the free throw line. Sean Devinney (Arsenal, Pa./Central Catholic) and Nick Sefscik (Allison Park, Pa./Shaler) also reached double digits in scored, totaling 11 and 10, respectively.

The Presidents' Josip Lucic-Jozak put on the night's best performance by rifling in 30 points. Wahab Owolabi stuffed the basket with 22 points in addition to 12 boards for a double-double.

Thiel returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Saint Vincent at 3 p.m.