WASHINGTON, Pa. – It took two overtime periods but the Thiel College men's basketball team took care of business against the Washington & Jefferson Presidents 84-80 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action Wednesday night.
 
In the second overtime period, Thiel took the lead on a layup and free throws by Khari Bess (Waldorf, Md./Maurice J. McDonough) and extended their lead in the second overtime behind a dunk by Avril Campbell (Dumfries, Va./Potomac) with 1:16 remaining in the game. Bess and Mert Ozkaynak (Izmir, Turkey/T.C. Williams) hit clinching free throws in the waning moments of the game to give the Tomcats the win.
 
Clandell Cetoute (Wellington, Fla./Wellington) paced the Tomcats recording his third double-double of the season. Cetoute scored 21 points, a new career-high, on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, while pulling down a team-high 11 rebounds with seven blocks.
 
Bess notched his fourth double-double of season and second double-double in two games behind a 12 point, 12 assist performance. Bess also grabbed six rebounds and stole the ball six times.
 
Luke Kochka (Monroeville, Pa. /Gateway), Mert Ozkaynak (Izmir, Turkey/T.C. Williams) and Leandra Jackson (Boardman, Ohio) also scored double figures for the Tomcats in the win. Kochka had 16 points and five rebounds while Ozkaynak tallied 15 points off the bench. Jackson scored 10 points and corralled seven rebounds.
 
Brian Graytok scored a game-high 28 points for the Presidents.
 
As a team, the Tomcats shot 44.9 percent (35-78) from the field. The Tomcats also outscored the Presidents in the paint (52-32), second chance points (24-23), bench points (17-13) and on the fast breaks (17-13).
 
The Tomcats return home on Saturday, Jan. 30 to take on the Bethany Bison in a crucial PAC contest. Action is slated to begin at 3 p.m. following the women's game.