GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel College men's basketball team earned a 72-60 victory on senior night over Mercer County rival Grove City in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup Saturday at Beeghly Gymnasium.
 
Luke Kochka (Monroeville, Pa. /Gateway) and Eric Mallinger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) both scored double figures for the Tomcats. Kochka came off the bench to score 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 6-of-7 from behind the three-point line. Mallinger was a rebound shy of a double-double, recording 16 points and nine rebounds. Mallinger also blocked two shots and stole the ball twice.
 
Also for Thiel, Khari Bess (Waldorf, Md./Maurice J. McDonough) scored nine points and had three assists while Josh Johnson (Monroeville, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) scored seven points.
 
Caleb Knudsen had a double-double for Grove City with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Tomcats trailed by as many as seven points in the first half but took the lead with 8:43 remaining in the first half and never looked back. The Tomcats outshot the Wolverines from the field (40.4-35.8) and from beyond the three-point line (50-21.7).
 
The Tomcats (13-12, 9-7 PAC) will participate in the 2015 PAC Championship Tournament as the fifth seed. The Tomcats will take on the fourth-seeded Thomas More Saints in the quarterfinals in Crestview Hills, Ky. The game will be played Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.