Box Score GREENVILLE, Pa. - The Thiel men's basketball team advanced in the Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC) tournament, defeating visiting Grove City by a final score of 57-44 in the quarterfinals of the PAC tournament Tuesday.

With the victory, the Tomcats move on to the semifinals, where they will travel to second-seeded Thomas More on Thursday with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
 
Kamran McCaskill (Carol City, Fla./Miami Beach) and A.J. Forbes (Lighthouse Point, Fla./Pompano Beach) each had 12 points to lead the Tomcats. McCaskill added three assists and two steals, while Forbes added three rebounds and a block.
 
The Wolverines raced out to a 14-4 lead to start the game, controlling the first ten minutes of the contest. The Tomcats shook off their jitters and answered with an 11-2 run of their own, trimming the Wolverine lead to just one, 16-15, with 7:20 left to play.
 
Thiel outscored Grove City 8-5 to close out the half, as Khari Bess laid the ball in to beat the buzzer and give the Tomcats a 24-20 lead going into the second half.
 
The second half was all Tomcats, as they shot a collective 50% from the field (12-of-24) and led by as many as 14 en route to beating Grove City for the third time this season- and ninth straight win over the Wolverines dating back to 2009.
 
Thiel's bench played a large role in the win, as they outscored the Wolverines bench 26-11. The reserves were led by Khari Bess, who finished the night with eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field, three rebounds, two assists and five steals.

J.T. Scwartz and Mitch Marmelstein each scored ten points to lead Grove City, which finishes the season with a record 10-16. Brian Giesler added seven points while Erik Carlstrom chipped in six.

Eric Mallinger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) also played well off the bench for the Tomcats, finishing with five points and four rebounds. Ladell Trotty (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) added five points, three rebounds and two steals.

Thiel improves to 14-9 overall.