Greenville, Pa. (December 19, 2009) -- Frigid temperatures couldn't stop the Thiel College women's basketball team from heating up as they picked up their third victory of the season, Saturday, by beating the Hiram College Terriers, 52-48.

The Terriers offense was the first to surge, as they jumped out to a 16-10 lead but, the sophomore backcourt combo of Nina Gabrelcik (Niles, Ohio/Niles McKinley) (Niles, Ohio / Niles McKinley) and Rianne Thornton (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) combined for 19 points to push the 'Cats ahead of Hiram before half.

And, if Gabrelick and Thornton were the firestarters of the contest, that would make freshmen forward, Kelly Barzack (Warren, Ohio/Howland) the closer.  The Warren, Ohio wunderkind dominated the second half of play in the post, scoring seven points and grabbing nine boards to guarantee Thiel the victory.

The Tomcats finished the game with four players scoring in double figures led by Barzack's 13 point, 11 rebound and three steal performance.  Thornton finished the game with a team-high 14 points, six rebounds and two steals, while Gabrelcik scored 12 points, shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.  Sophomore swing, Ashley Davis (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Peters Chanel) contributed 11 points and snatched six boards.

The Tomcats return to action Tuesday, January 5 when they travel to Bethany College to face the Bison for a 6:00 p.m. match to ring in the new year.