Box Score
Greenville, Pa. – Allegheny College battled back from a 17-point second half deficit to pull to within 10 but Thiel was able to hold off the comeback bid and post an 88-78 win over the visiting Gators Tuesday night at Beeghly Gymnasium.
Blair Rozenblad (Youngstown, Ohio/Kennedy Catholic) paced the Thiel (7-2) offensive effort by headlining four double figures scorers, finishing with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Rozenblad finished 10-of-15 from the floor, helping the Tomcats sho0t 54.8 percent (34-62) in the contest. Thiel secured a 41-32 advantage on the glass and notched a season-best 26 assists.
Ladell Trotty (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) totaled 19 points and four rebounds while
Anthony Harvey (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) added 17 points, six rebounds, and a pair of assists. AJ Forbes totaled 10 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
James Ness led five Gators in double figures, finishing with 16 points and six boards. Gabe Seidman finished with 15 points and three assists while D'Andre Corbin and Devone McLeod each added 12 points and three assists. Ryan Stanko added 11 points and two assists in 20 minutes of work off of the Allegheny (2-9) bench.
The Gators shot 43.7 percent (31-71) from the floor and hit on 8-of-22 (36.4%) of their three-point attempts.
The game was played tight early with the Tomcats leading by just one, 21-20, with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first. A 21-6 run helped Thiel edge out to a 42-26 advantage with just under three to go and the homestanding Tomcats took a 42-28 lead into the break.
A Forbes jumper at the 12:07 mark pushed the Tomcat lead back to 17, 61-44, but a 24-9 Gator run that covered the next 7:21 helped Allegheny pull back to within 10, 70-60.
Thiel was able to knock down 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to hold off the late Allegheny charge and secure the 10-point victory.
Thiel is set to return to action on Friday, Dec. 29 at The College of Wooster's “Mose” Hole / Kiwanis Classic. The Tomcats will face the host Fighting Scots at 7:30 p.m.
