PITTSBURGH – The eighth-seeded Thiel College women's basketball team defeated the fourth-seeded Chatham Cougars in the PAC Championship Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday, 75-70.
 
With the win, the Tomcats advanced to the conference tournament semifinals for the first time since 2009. The Tomcats also became the conference's first eighth-seed to advance to the semifinals.
 
Thiel held a 34-29 lead at halftime over the Cougars on Wednesday. The Tomcats quickly built a 14-point lead after opening the third quarter on a 13-4 run. Danyelle Lucido (Grove City, Pa./Grove City), Alivia Sidley (Thompson, Ohio/Ledgemont) and Courtney Harriman (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) keyed the run with one 3-pointer apiece.
 
Chatham cut the lead down to three points twice late in the fourth quarter, but Jess Vormelker (Orwell, Ohio/Grand Valley) iced the game for Thiel with a pair of free throw makes with two seconds remaining in regulation.
 
Sidley led Thiel with 16 points while recording six rebounds. Lucido and freshman forward Destiny Johnson (Baltimore, Md./Western) both scored 14 points. Johnson also grabbed a game-best 15 rebounds.
 
Vormelker scored 13 points and tallied seven rebounds. Harriman and freshman guard Rachel Breckenridge (Burton, Ohio/Berkshire) combined to record 14 points.
 
Megan Sieg and Katie Sieg paced the Cougars with 21 points apiece.
 
The Tomcats will face the top-seeded and tournament host Saint Vincent Bearcats in the semifinals Friday in Latrobe. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.