GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel Tomcats men's basketball team defeated the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets, 73-62, in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game Saturday at Beeghly Gymnasium.
 
The game started out with a bang, a dunk by Andre Williams (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd H. Anderson) just four seconds in. This opening statement set the tone for the game, as the Tomcats never trailed and were only tied twice (both less than two minutes into the first half). The Tomcats' largest lead came with 8:22 left in the first half, leading the Yellow Jackets 29-12. Waynesburg cut that lead to seven, down 36-29 entering halftime.
 
The Yellow Jackets continued their momentum, cutting the Tomcats' lead to three with 16:16 left in the game. However, Tomcats answered with a 12-2 run of their own to gain a 14-point lead. As time winded down, Waynesburg stayed competitive, down by just seven with just over a minute remaining. The Tomcats stymied the comeback, shooting 7-of-10 on free throws and allowing just three points in the final minute.
 
The Tomcats had four players with double-digit points, including Chima Omeihe (Lake Worth, Fla./Park Vista Community), Ahmad Tejumola (Waldorf, Md./Saint Charles), John Aarestrup (Miami, Fla./Archbishop Coleman Carroll) and Daquan Simmons (Capitol Heights, Md./Central) with 19, 17, 15, and 10 points, respectively. Omeihe chipped in nine rebounds and a game-high three steals. Tejumola notched his fourth double-double of the season, leading the game with 11 rebounds.
 
The Yellow Jackets were led by Matt Popeck's 25 points and six rebounds. Jack Benhart also contributed 16 points, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 5-for-5 on free throws.
 
The Tomcats will look to build momentum on the road as they travel to face the Chatham Cougars on Monday at 7 p.m.