BETHANY, W.Va. – Up by 12 points entering the second half, the Thiel College men's basketball team looked poised for an upset of second-seed Bethany in the first round of the Presidents' Athletic Conference tournament Tuesday night. The home-standing Bison, however, battled back to eventually slip past the scrappy Tomcats for a, 74-69, victory.

Thiel's undoing came about, in part, by Bethany's domination on the boards – particularly in the second half. The Bison doubled up the Tomcats with 22 boards, and collected a 42-24 advantage on the glass, on the night.

Bethany's Dakota Matz did more than his part to make sure his team would advance, exploding for 21 points in the second period, en route to a game-high 25 points.

Nick Sefscik (Allison Park, Pa./Shaler) and Cory Chaffee (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) paced the Tomcats with 23 and 20 points, respectively.

Thiel closes its season with a 2-23 record. Bethany (16-10) advances to host third-seeded Westminster on Thursday.